My Heart Will Go On
by sofia313
Summary: In 1912 Klaus and Elijah are returning to New Orleans after taking care of things in England. Their ship leaves Southampton on her maiden voyage, she is the biggest and the most luxurious passenger liner ever built. The problem? The ship's name happens to be Titanic. Klaus/OC
1. Chapter 1

**I know I shouldn't start a new story before finishing some of the old ones, but this has been on my mind for a while now and I've already written most of it. It's not going to be very long, 10 chapters or so. This is just a short introduction, the next chapters, if you think I should publish them, are going to be longer. I'll also update She Is My Sin this week.**

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><p>Southampton, UK, 1912<p>

"Well… She is quite impressive," Elijah stated.

Klaus crossed his arms and gazed at the enormous ship, she had to be at least 800 feet long. Apparently she was the biggest passenger liner ever built and the passenger facilities, especially for the First Class passengers, were designed to meet the highest standards of luxury. If there was something Klaus appreciated, it was luxury, why should he give that up while traveling.

Perhaps he was also a bit curious, although he doubted that this ship was so special than everyone kept saying. He had seen all kinds of ships, but he did like these steamships, they were much faster than sailing ships. The journey from Southampton to New York would only last a week, as unbelievable as that was. In the old times, that same journey had lasted months.

"Please be careful with that, " Elijah was saying to the two porters who were carrying their trunk. It didn't entail any of their luggage, the other porters were taking care of those. This trunk entailed Kol. Klaus was still angry at his little brother for all the mayhem he had caused in London, forcing Klaus to travel all the way here. Hopefully Rebekah hadn't made too much mess in New Orleans during the few weeks he had Elijah had been gone.

Well, Marcel was there to keep things in order, although Klaus wasn't sure if he could trust them to keep their hands off each other. Sure he could have taken Rebekah with them, but she would have no doubt pouted and complained the whole time and that was the last thing he needed. The porters seemed to be struggling a little with the trunk; Elijah was watching them like a hawk. Klaus rolled his eyes, always the protective big brother.

Kol had definitely brought this on himself; they couldn't simply draw attention to themselves, not anymore. Kol's little "holiday" in the old country had made it on the headlines even across the Atlantic and that simply wasn't acceptable. Klaus had thought that he had made himself clear after the whole "Jack the Ripper" incident 24 years ago. Kol truly had a twisted sense of humor.

Klaus glanced at the trunk and huffed, he wasn't planning to undagger his brother any time soon. Slowly he and Elijah made their way to the pier. Naturally the First Class passengers had their own entrance to the ship; they didn't have to mix with the commoners. Klaus didn't usually mind socializing with wealthy people, but they were often quite boring. There were smiling stewards welcoming them on board, the ship truly seemed to be luxurious. Titanic… That was a grandiloquent name for a ship. Well, it didn't matter, the journey wouldn't probably be very interesting.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for the reviews, favs and alerts. I'm sorry, but this isn't a Klaroline story, this takes place in 1912. Also I apologize in advance for all the historical inaccuracies; sadly I'm not a historian.**

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><p>Stephen Clayton's hands were shaking; he felt that he really needed a cigarette or a drink. Both would have been nice. He pressed his lips together and ordered himself to get a grip, the worst part was behind him now, he had made it to the ship. Yet he was a nervous wreck, he kept looking around him, fearing to see the familiar face. No, there was no way that thing could have followed him here; he had been more than careful.<p>

All he saw was excited faces, people who hoped to start a new life. The narrow hallway that led to the Third Class cabins was full of people; most of them were heading to the deck. Stephen was holding a hand of a young woman; instinctively he tightened his grip every time when they passed other people. He would do anything to keep her safe. Anything.

"Papa?" the woman said. "Are you alright?"

No, Stephen definitely wasn't alright, but she could never know that. If she would find out what he had done, she would hate him forever and that was something he wouldn't be able to endure. She was all he had, his little girl.

"Yes, sweetheart, I'm fine. Just tired."

She squished his hand and leaned her head on his shoulder.

"You can lie down soon."

"Yes…"

He wrapped his arm around his daughter and glanced at the two young men who were right behind them. Most people wouldn't have hired two petty criminals to watch their back, but unfortunately Stephen hadn't had much choice. Tommy and Billy Faraday were far from honorable men, but Stephen had been a friend of their father's. That didn't mean that Stephen could trust them completely, but they would honor the agreement he had made with them.

The brothers had dreamt of traveling to USA after their father had died, so Stephen had offered them tickets to this ship and a small amount of money in exchange for their help. He definitely needed all the help he could get in order to keep his daughter safe. He would have no money left when they would reach New York, but he was sure that he could think of something, he always did. After all the wrong choices he had made, this was his chance for redemption. At least so he hoped.

"Here we are…" he muttered and opened the door to their cabin. "Alright… There's a threshold right in front of us."

His daughter nodded and felt the threshold with her cane before stepping over it. The cabin was very small, just like all the Third Class cabins.

"There are two bunk beds opposite each other, one on three o'clock, one on nine o'clock" Stephen explained, he had got used to being his daughter's eyes. "Nothing else."

She started to feel the beds in order to "see" the room when the Faradays entered the cabin and closed the door behind them. They were both carrying duffel bags, fortunately Tommy had agreed to also carry Stephen's small bag.

"Viola and I will take the lower bunks," Stephen said. "If you lads don't mind."

Tommy shrugged.

"Fine by us. Right, brother?"

"Yeah," Billy huffed, he wasn't much of a talker, at least not when he was sober. Both brothers were tall and muscular; they enjoyed drinking, good fights in the pubs and beating people up for money. They were definitely not the kind of people Stephen would have normally wanted near to his daughter, but desperate times called for desperate measures. Not that he was in any position to judge the Faradays, he himself was no better than them. In fact, he was worse. Viola didn't know that and hopefully she never would.

Tommy and Billy took off their coats and climbed onto the top bunks, the cabin was so small that there wasn't much room to stand. Stephen had no problem to follow their example, he was exhausted. He hadn't really slept for days, not since the most terrible night of his life. His eyes turned to Viola; she had lied down as well. She looked so much like her mother that it almost hurt Stephen to look at her. His beautiful Miriam.

What would she say if she could see him now? He hadn't just failed his daughter; he had also failed the love of his life. He closed his eyes and silently begged for Miriam's forgiveness. He would make everything alright, no matter what it would take. That demon would never have their daughter. Stephen was relieved when he felt the ship moving, the faster they would leave from England, the better.

"I would like to go on the deck," Viola said right before Stephen was about to fall asleep. He was dead tired.

"What? Now?"

"Yes, but you don't have to come with me, papa, I can get there by myself, I counted the steps…"

"I'll come with you, sweetness," Tommy interrupted her and jumped down. Billy sighed, clearly bored, before following his brother's example. Stephen cursed Billy's manners, he had told them both to be subtle, Viola certainly didn't need to know that they were here to watch over her.

"You don't have to…" she started, making Stephen to lose his patience.

"Don't be ridiculous," he snapped more harshly than he had intended. "I know how much you want to be independent, but you're now going anywhere alone when we're on this ship. Is that clear?"

"I'm not a child, papa…" Viola started tensely and got into a sitting position, hitting her head on the bottom of the top bunk. She hadn't got used to the bunk beds.

"Are you alright?" Stephen asked when she cried out in pain.

"Yes, I'm fine," she muttered, clearly she was embarrassed. Ever since Viola had lost her eyesight, she had been determined to cope without it; she didn't want people to feel sorry for her because she was blind.

"What I meant was that this is a big ship," Stephen said, managing to sound calmer. "You don't know this place; it wouldn't be smart to wander around by yourself."

Of course Viola knew that he was right, but it was still hard for her to admit it, she had inherited her damn pride and stubbornness from her mother. Viola had known every inch of their small home and its surroundings, even running errands hadn't been a problem for her, but now she had to start all over, because of him. Stephen knew how much his daughter hated to be dependent on other people. That was the reason why she wouldn't have wanted to leave their home.

"I could really use some fresh air," Tommy cut in. "What do you say, sweetness, how about we go together?"

Viola hesitated before nodding.

"If you're going on the deck anyway…"

"Yeah, I am."

Billy was rolling his eyes, but fortunately he didn't say anything. Stephen gave Tommy an approving nod; thankfully he was smarter than his brother. Viola stood up and picked up her cane, Tommy moved next to her and offered her his arm.

"Let's go then."

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><p>"Put it in the wardrobe room, please," Elijah said to the stewards who were carrying the trunk in their suite. Klaus couldn't help but smile, he doubted that Kol would appreciate traveling in the wardrobe room. There were three bedrooms, two wardrobe rooms, two bathrooms and a parlor in their suite, Klaus had to admit that he was impressed. The suite was decorated in Louis XIV style and had floor to ceiling paneling in French light brown walnut. Specially mounted ornaments, mouldings, custom-made authentic looking furniture and candle-style lamps hung in the centre of the panels gave a regal effect. Not bad. The stewards brought in the rest of their luggage and a maid asked could she get them anything.<p>

"A cup of tea would be nice, thank you," Elijah replied.

"Yes, sir," she said and turned to look at Klaus. "And for you, sir?"

"Nothing for me, thank you, love" Klaus replied, he wasn't in the mood for a tea. The last few days had been stressing and what he would have really wanted was the taste of the maid. Perhaps later. She looked like a nun in her black uniform and she blushed when he smiled and winked at her.

"Excuse me," she muttered and went to get Elijah's tea.

"Really, Niklaus?" Elijah huffed and sat down on the sofa. "We just arrived."

"Surely you can't blame me for wanting to have some fun after spending days cleaning up Kol's mess," Klaus replied. "Or do you think I should play with these first class girls?"

"No, I do not," Elijah said firmly. "I would like you to keep in mind that these are some of the richest and the most influential people in the world."

Klaus rolled his eyes.

"And I should care about that because...?"

"You know what I mean."

Klaus waved his hand, he felt like taking a walk before the lunch. Surely he would be forced to once again meet at least few debutantes who their mothers tried to marry off to wealthy bachelors. He had no doubt that every eager mother on the ship would soon know that he and Elijah were unmarried and they had money. Poor Elijah had been practically ambushed on their way to England when a very determined elderly lady had decided that he would be a perfect husband for her granddaughter. Fortunately for Elijah, the girl had been in love with someone else, otherwise he might be on his way to the altar right now, he had been no match for that old lady. Klaus had thought that the whole thing had been hilarious, but Elijah hadn't found it so funny.

"I believe I will take a walk," Klaus stated. "I will see you later, brother."

Klaus didn't really know where he was going, perhaps on the deck. There weren't many people on the First Class deck, they were probably settling in and getting ready for the lunch. Few men were sitting on the comfortable deck chairs; a steward was just serving them drinks. Klaus ordered a glass of Bourbon for himself and walked over to the railing. He closed his eyes and smelled the sea air; there was something refreshing about it, perhaps because he had spent his childhood near the North Sea.

Not that he had many pleasant memories about his childhood, but he remembered always liking the fresh sea air. He opened his eyes and leaned on the railing, carelessly looking down at the people on the Third Class deck. There were some young men smoking cigarettes, couples walking arm in arm and children running around and playing with a ball.

Then there was her. She was standing next to the railing, barefoot and her arms spread like wings. Her back was turned, so all he saw was her olive dress and her long brown hair flying in the wind. Something about her caught Klaus' attention, he heard her humming quietly. The young men were looking at her curiously and one of them even tried to approach her, but a tall dark-haired man blocked his way.

"I wouldn't," the tall man snarled threateningly, making the other man to back away.

The girl turned around.

"Did you say something, Tommy?" she asked. She was beautiful, maybe 18 or 19. Her dark green eyes weren't looking at the tall man; she seemed to be looking right through him.

"No, nothing," the tall man said and moved next to her. "Are you enjoying the view…I mean…"

The girl smiled.

"Yes, I am."

She hesitated a moment before continuing.

"Could you tell me what you see?"

The tall man, whose name apparently was Tommy, looked quite uncomfortable.

"Sure… There's…water and…the sky, it's bright. Some young lads are playing football…and…"

He paused and looked around; Klaus was confused for a moment before he understood. The girl was blind. Tommy looked up and noticed him.

"And some snob on the First Class deck is staring at us," he snorted, not knowing that Klaus could hear them.

The girl's eyebrows furrowed.

"Where?"

Tommy cocked his head towards Klaus.

"On twelve o'clock," he said after realizing that the girl couldn't see his gesture. "Damn dandies…"

"Yeah," the girl huffed. "They think they're so much better than us."

Judging by her tone, she didn't like rich people. Tommy started to complain about the whole upper class and preach about how much he hated them all. Klaus couldn't really hear what the foolish boy was saying; he was concentrated on the girl. He was willing to bet that she would be delicious, much better than the maid. His lips curved into a smirk, he didn't notice the steward arriving with his drink.

"Here you are, sir."

"Thank you," Klaus said and picked up the glass from the tray. "Listen…what's your name?"

"Nigel, sir," the steward replied.

Klaus turned to look at him and smiled.

"Tell me, Nigel, would you like to earn the biggest tip of your life?"


	3. Chapter 3

Klaus took a sip of the finest champagne out of his crystal glass; he was having one of the most boring dinners he could remember. The dining room was huge and just as luxurious as their suite; it was decorated in Jacobean style, painted in peanut white. All the tables and chairs were oak; their table was next to the large bay window that was covered with elegant silk curtains.

Klaus had chosen this particular table because he had tried to avoid getting too much attention, but that certainly hadn't worked out, not after the lunch when he and Elijah had sat at the same table with couple of nosy women who had wanted to know everything about them. Everything mostly meant were they married, the women had already found out that they were staying in one of the most luxurious suites on the ship, which meant that they had money.

As a result, he and Elijah were now stuck with a family who happened to have an unmarried daughter. Clarissa Spencer was probably 19 or 20; she had curly blondish hair and pale blue eyes. Klaus had noticed how she had kept looking at him from across the room during the lunch, but that wasn't anything new, women always paid attention to him. Now she kept blinking her eyes, looking all shy and innocent, but Klaus could tell that it was an act. He had seen countless of rich girls like her, no doubt she had got used to getting what she wanted. Actually, she kind of reminded him of Rebekah. Her father, Charles Spencer, hadn't spoken much, but his wife Henrietta certainly had, she kept praising her daughter.

"Clarissa is an excellent pianist; you simply must hear her play…"

Klaus suppressed his urge to sigh and kept nodding politely, he was becoming impatient. Where was that damn steward Nigel, he was ready for his real dinner. All he needed to know was where he could find her. He hadn't said anything about his plans to Elijah, he didn't need any lectures. Yes, the girl was blind, but so what, he didn't discriminate anyone. When he saw something he liked, he took it.

"Oh, this is one of Clarissa's favorite songs!" Mrs. Spencer announced when the orchestra started to play a new song. "And she loves dancing."

Oh great… Clarissa looked up and gave him a coy smile, but the look in her eyes was determined. Elijah cleared his throat, he was probably enjoying every second of this after Klaus had made fun of him because his little "romance" on their way to England. This was definitely one of those times when Klaus hated being forced to act like "a civilized gentleman".

"Actually…" he started, planning to say that Elijah was much better dancer than him, but unfortunately his brother was faster.

"Niklaus enjoys dancing as well," Elijah stated innocently. Klaus sent him a brief scowl, but decided that it was easier to simply get this over with; there was no need to draw unnecessary attention.

"Would you like to dance, miss Clarissa?" he asked, trying not to sound bored.

The girl looked excited and triumphant, but she didn't have time to reply when Klaus spotted Nigel standing in front of the doors, looking at him insecurely. Finally.

"No, actually I just remembered that I must send an urgent telegram," he said and stood up. "I apologize, but I am afraid it can't wait. Please excuse me."

He marched towards the doors before anyone managed to say anything, but he caught a glimpse of Clarissa's stunned expression and heard Elijah apologizing again for him, the telegram was truly urgent.

"Walk with me," Klaus said before Nigel had time to speak, another steward opened the doors for them.

"Have a good evening, sir," he said politely when Klaus passed him. Klaus smiled; hopefully his evening would be good.

"Were you successful?" Klaus asked as soon as they had walked out from the dining room.

"Yes, sir," Nigel replied, he seemed nervous. "I… I apologize for disturbing your dinner, but you said…"

"Yes, yes, it's fine," Klaus huffed. "Her name?"

Nigel swallowed and hesitated until Klaus took few bills out of his jacket pocket.

"Viola Clayton. She is traveling with her father, Stephen Clayton and her cousins, Thomas and William Faraday. Here is the number of their cabin."

Klaus smirked and took the piece of paper the nervous young man was handing to him.

"Well done, Nigel."

"Thank you, sir."

"Is she in her cabin right now?"

"She…she is on the deck."

Klaus' smirk grew wider.

"Really? Wonderful."

Nigel was looking more and more nervous; he squished the bills in his sweaty fist. He was worried about his job, not whether Klaus was planning to harm this girl or not. It wasn't difficult to see what he thought of the Third Class passengers.

"I… Forgive me, but…I…"

Klaus sighed and looked into his eyes.

"You won't remember this conversation, I never asked you to get any information, all I asked from you was a drink. Understood?"

He nodded.

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Run along then."

Nigel's face was blank when he turned around and walked away. Klaus smiled when he headed to the deck, it was time to meet this Viola Clayton.

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><p>"<em>The moon had climb'd the highest hill<em>_**, **__which rises o'er the source of Dee. And from the eastern summit shed__h__er silver light on tow'r and tree; __when Mary laid her down to sleep, __h__er thoughts on Sandy far at sea. When soft and low, a voice was heard,__ s__ay, Mary weep, no more for me…"_

I loved feeling the wind on my face, hearing the sound of the waves and smelling the sea air when I hummed my favorite song, mama had sang it to me every night, even when I hadn't been a child anymore. Her voice had been much more beautiful than mine; I had never got tired of listening to her sing. After I couldn't see anything but darkness, her voice had comforted me more than anything.

At first I had felt sorry for myself and hated the person who had done this to me, but mama had said that my hate hurt me more than it hurt this person. I had been 13, a naïve little girl, but I wasn't like that anymore. It had taken me years to get over my bitterness, especially when this person had felt no remorse, on the contrary. If my family would have been as rich as hers, maybe she would have been punished for what she did, but who would have believed the word of a maid's daughter over the daughter of one of the wealthiest households in London.

"_She from her pillow gently raised__her head, to ask who there might be and saw young Sandy shivering stand,__with visage pale, and hollow e'e. __O Mary dear, cold is my clay;__it lies beneath a stormy sea. __Far, far from thee, I sleep in death, __so, Mary, weep no more for me…"_

Mama had loved this song as well, although papa had thought that it wasn't suitable for a little girl. It was sad, but it was most of all beautiful, a story of two lovers who could never be together. I needed to sing it every night, to feel mama close to me; it was like a prayer to me. I wanted to believe that she was watching over papa and me in heaven. It had been almost three years since we had lost her and papa hadn't been the same after that.

He thought that I couldn't see that, but I was blind, not stupid. I had cried during the nights when he hadn't come home, it was my biggest fear to lose him too. He had started to drink a lot after mama had died and I suspected that he had also used opium, it made him tense and angry. When he had told me few days ago that we would travel to America, I had known that something was terribly wrong. My guess was that he owed money to the wrong people and he couldn't pay them back.

"_Three stormy nights and stormy days we toss'd upon the raging main; __a__nd long we strove our bark to save, __b__ut all our striving was in vain. __Even then, when horror chill'd my blood, __the storm is past, and I at rest; __so, Mary, weep no more for me…"_

The cold wind made me shiver, but I still wanted to stay on the deck, I felt that I couldn't breathe in that small cabin. Papa had slept almost the whole time since we had boarded and he had barely eaten at all, he wasn't well. He was probably suffering from withdrawals, if he didn't have any opium with him. I should have done something, I should have tried harder, but the truth was that I was a coward. One time when he had come home in a terrible shape, I had yelled at him, accusing him of disgracing mama's memory, but that had been a mistake. He had grabbed me and threw me against the wall so roughly that I had passed out. He couldn't remember it afterwards and he had never hurt me before or after that, but I had still started to fear him enough to keep my mouth shut.

"_O, maiden dear, thyself prepare; __w__e soon shall meet upon that shore__w__here love is free from doubt and care, __a__nd thou and I shall part no more. Loud crow'd the cock, the shadow fled; __n__o more of Sandy could she see: __b__ut soft the passing spirit said:__ s__weet Mary, weep no more for me."_

I sighed after I was finished and leaned on the railing. It was probably dark already and the sky was full of stars. I could still remember what the night sky looked like and I would have given almost anything to see it again, even for a brief moment. I doubted that anyone really appreciated things like that, not before losing them.

"Don't take anything for granted," I muttered to myself, I did that sometimes, as strange as it was. Suddenly I felt someone standing behind me and turned around. This person didn't make any sound, but somehow I knew there was someone looking at me.

"Tommy?" I said. "Is that you?"

I had smelled his cigarette a moment ago and heard his footsteps moving away, I had thought that he had wanted to take a little walk. Billy had disappeared after the dinner, but Tommy had wanted to come to the deck with me.

"Tommy?"

"No," a man's voice said. "I'm afraid I'm not Tommy."


	4. Chapter 4

"No, I'm afraid I'm not Tommy."

I startled when I heard a strange voice, my heart started to pound faster. This British man had managed to surprise me completely and that didn't happen very often, I had a pretty good hearing. It was true that losing a sense made the rest of them stronger, at least so I felt.

"Forgive me, miss," he continued after a brief silence. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"No, no, that's alright," I managed to say, I felt foolish for getting so startled, surely there were other people on the deck as well. "I just didn't hear your footsteps."

He was quiet for few seconds; I could feel him staring at me. I had got used to people doing that and usually I didn't care.

"Again, I apologize," he stated, he sounded a bit strange, confused maybe. I had got used to that as well; some people just didn't know how to act with me. Sometimes I had wanted to snap that I didn't have any contagious disease and my blindness didn't affect my intelligence in any way.

"Well it's a beautiful night," he said. Apparently he wanted to at least try talking to me instead of just excusing himself and running away.

"I will have to take your word for it," I replied, he must have noticed that I was blind. "I'm Viola," I continued and held out my hand.

He was quiet again and I sensed tension coming from him. For a moment I thought that he didn't want to touch me, some people didn't, but just before I lowered my hand, he took it. His hand felt a little cold, he had probably been outside for a while.

"Klaus," he muttered. Instead of shaking my hand, he simply held it for a moment before letting go.

"That's not a very usual name for an Englishman," I stated, I had a bad habit of blurting things out before considering were they appropriate.

"It's a short for Niklaus," he replied, I couldn't really interpret his tone.

"Oh. Most people would have probably shortened it Nick."

"Well, I'm not like most people."

"That's not a bad thing," I assured. "It wouldn't be very interesting if everyone would be alike."

"Yes, I suppose that's true," he replied.

The chilly wind made me to shiver and wrap my arms around me; I hoped that Tommy would be here soon so we could go back to the cabin. I didn't think that I could get there by myself, no matter how much I would have wanted to. It was often humiliating to be so dependent on other people, but there was a difference between pride and stupidity.

"Here," Klaus said, I startled again when he suddenly stepped right in front of me and wrapped something around me. It took me a second to realize that it was his jacket.

"Thank you," I said when he took a step back. His jacket smelled very good, I had to inhale its scent few times.

"You are welcome, miss Viola."

I couldn't help but smile.

"Just Viola, we're not one of those First Class grouches."

A brief silence followed my words; I could tell that I had said something wrong.

"Actually… I'm traveling on the First Class," he stated rigidly.

This was awkward. I tensed and wrapped my arms around me; I felt nervous and took an instinctive step back. I couldn't help it.

"Oh…"

"Yes, I'm… a valet," he added.

That made me to immediately relax, he was one of us.

"Oh!"

"I know, not a very glamorous position…"

"No, no, it's an honest way to make a living, there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. My mama was a maid."

"Really?"

"Yes. So, you are traveling with your employer?" I asked.

"Yes, his name is… Elijah Mikaelson."

"Oh. What is he like?"

Again, probably not an appropriate question. I felt Klaus leaning towards me.

"Between you and me?" he asked, sounding very mysterious.

I nodded.

"He's a real snob. You know, old money."

"Yes, I know the type," I muttered tensely. "I hope he at least treats you properly."

"Well… He has his moments, but I feel more comfortable right here."

"I can believe that," I huffed. "You must be sick of all the rich snobs."

"You have no idea." He paused for a moment before continuing. "Listen, would you like to take a seat? There's a bench on two o'clock, there's no wind there."

I appreciated him remembering that I couldn't see the bench; I wanted to continue our conversation. Why wouldn't I do that while waiting for Tommy?

"Sure."

"Great. May I…"

He stepped next to me and softly touched my arm. I allowed him to lead me to the bench, although I could have found it by myself, at least eventually.

"Thank you," I said when he helped me to take a seat. The bench was wood; I touched it briefly with my fingertips. He sat down next to me, keeping a polite distance between us. Clearly he had manners, just like a valet needed to have. I remembered that some of the elder servants who mama had worked with had been very stiff, I had been afraid of some of them when I had been a child.

"Are you traveling with your family?" Klaus asked.

I nodded.

"Yes, with my papa and my cousins."

Tommy and Billy weren't really my cousins, but papa had thought that it was better to say that they were, since we were staying in the same cabin.

"So, have you been in America before?" I asked.

"Yes," he replied. "I currently live there."

"Oh, in New York?"

"No, in New Orleans."

I bit my bottom lip and admitted to him that I had no idea where New Orleans was, I didn't really know much about America.

"I can show you if I may," he offered and asked me to give him my hand. I was curious, so I held my hand out, letting him to place it on his.

"Here is America," he said a draw a map on the back of my hand with his cool finger. "Here is New York. And here is New Orleans."

"Oh. You have a long journey ahead of you then."

"Yes, but it's much faster these days."

"Do you have family there?" I asked.

"Yes, a brother and a sister. How about you? I am guessing that this is your first trip to America?"

I smiled.

"What makes you think that? I don't seem like an experienced traveler?"

He chuckled.

"My apologies, it's not polite to make assumptions."

"No, you are right; this is my first trip to America. Or to anywhere."

"Really?"

I nodded and sighed.

"Yes, I have lived in London my whole life and I somehow thought that I would die there as well. My mama is buried there and I really didn't want to leave her and the home where we lived."

A silence followed my words, I couldn't believe I had said that to someone who I had just met, I really should think before speaking. I must have made him uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry…"

"No, no, there's no need," he said, but he did sound uncomfortable. "I'm sorry about your mother."

"Thank you."

We were both quiet for a while; I wrapped his jacket tighter around me.

"Would you like a cup of tea?" he suddenly asked.

"I would love one," I replied, thinking that he was joking. "And some biscuits too, I'm sure the First Class kitchen will be eager to serve us…"

"Do you use cream or sugar?"

Was he serious?

"I use honey, but…"

"Wait here, I will be right back," he said, I heard him standing up.

"What, wait, you really don't have to…" I started, but he was already walking away. I was a little confused, for a moment I suspected that he had only needed an excuse to leave; I really knew how to make people uncomfortable. To my surprise he returned after few minutes.

"Here you are a cup of tea with honey and some biscuits."

I was stunned.

"What? How did you…"

"What can I say, I'm a good valet," he replied and sat down next to me. "The cup is right in front of you, be careful, it's hot."

My fingers touched his when I reached for the cup; I smiled when I smelled the tea. It tasted absolutely divine, it warmed me up immediately.

"You sir are an angel," I sighed after taking the first sip. "Thank you so much."

"Any time. A biscuit?"

I laughed; I couldn't believe he had actually brought me biscuits.

"Yes, please."

"The plate is in front of your left hand."

I hold the cup in my right hand and picked up a biscuit, it tasted delicious.

"Hmm… How did you get these?" I sighed.

"Well, it wasn't easy, I had to knock out few stewards and tackle an old lady."

I laughed.

"Perhaps you're not an angel after all."

"No, I'm not," he muttered, his tone was tense.

Great, I had offended him. Me and my big mouth…

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean…"

"No, you didn't say anything wrong," he interrupted me. "Or anything untrue. I'm far from an angel."

I wasn't sure what to say, he sounded gloomy. After a brief hesitation, I placed the cup on the bench between us and reached for his hands. I could sense his confusion, but he didn't say anything, he simply allowed me to take his hands between mine. The tea had made my hands warm and his were still cold, so I started to rub them. Lord knew this was far from an appropriate behavior, but I wanted to do at least this one small thing for him.

"None of us is an angel," I said quietly. "We'll just have to settle being humans with all our faults."

He didn't say anything, but I felt him staring at me. I continued rubbing his hands until I felt them warming up.

"There, at least your hands are warm now."

He cleared his throat.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

We were both quiet for a moment, but the silence didn't feel uncomfortable. I was starting to be very tired, I couldn't help but yawn. Where was Tommy?

"It's getting late, may I escort you to your cabin?" he asked.

"Thank you, but I have to wait for my cousin…"

"I'm sorry, I just remembered something," Klaus interrupted me and stood up. "I will be right back."

"Sure…"

I really hoped that nothing had happened to Tommy, he had been away for a while.

"Viola!"

I stood up when I heard his voice, he was running towards me.

"I'm so sorry; I played cards with some lads and lost the track of time."

"That's alright, I had company."

"What?"

"Good evening," Klaus' voice said. "You must be Viola's cousin, I'm Klaus."

An ominous silence followed his words, I was afraid that Tommy would misunderstand the whole thing and tell papa. I hadn't even considered that option until now.

"Tommy, it's not…"

"It's nice to meet you," Tommy said. "I'm Tommy. Thank you for keeping Viola company."

"No problem. Would you excuse us for a second?"

I gasped, what was Klaus doing? Tommy didn't take orders from anyone…

"Sure," Tommy said. "I'll just… wait over there."

I was stunned, what was wrong with Tommy? Maybe he had smoked something else than just cigarettes, I knew he and Billy did that sometimes.

"I won't keep you for long, I'm sure you want to get to bed," Klaus said and moved in front of me.

"This might sound bold, but tomorrow is my day off and I was wondering… Would you like to take a walk on the deck with me? Your cousin is also welcome of course."

I was surprised, but not unpleasantly. Definitely not.

"I would like that," I replied smiling.

"Great. I'll meet you here after breakfast?"

"Yes. Good night, Klaus."

"Good night."

I was still smiling when Tommy and I headed to our cabin; I had really enjoyed my evening. Who would have thought that there even were men like Klaus, so kind and thoughtful? I wished all men could have been more like him.


	5. Chapter 5

"Well, look who returns," Elijah huffed without bothering to look up when Klaus entered their suite. Elijah was sitting on an armchair with one of the new books he had found from London. "I hope you didn't make too much mess."

"Hmm," Klaus muttered absentmindedly, he wasn't in the mood for a chat.

"Your persistent admirer wasn't very happy after you left; I had to spend the rest of the dinner apologizing…"

"I couldn't care less about that," Klaus snapped, making Elijah to look at him and frown.

"Is everything alright?"

Klaus tried to avoid his brother's gaze while pouring himself a drink.

"Yes, everything is fine, why wouldn't it be?"

"I don't know, you seem a little…tense."

If his brother would only know… Tense wasn't the right word though, utterly confused was more like it. Klaus was still trying to figure out what had happened tonight. How the hell had he ended up talking with the girl and claiming that he was a valet instead of feeding on her like he had intended. A valet? What the hell?

Well, there was a simple reason why he had said that, he had noticed the girl's nervousness after he had told her that he was traveling on the First Class, she had closed herself off immediately. For some very strange reason he hadn't wanted that, he had wanted to continue talking with her. Why, he had no idea. Everything was supposed to be simple, he had compelled her cousin to stay away in order to have some privacy with her and she had bee right there, alone and defenseless. An easy prey. Too easy, that must have been the problem.

Sure, he could keep telling himself that, but it wasn't the truth. He had stood behind her, inhaling her mouthwatering scent and listening to her quiet singing, planning to grab her, but then she had turned around. He really couldn't understand what had happened after that, something about her had made him froze. Someone who didn't know him could have said that he still had some decency left, but that wasn't it. She had done something to him. Klaus cleared his throat and emptied his glass with a one gulp.

"I'm going to need the suite tomorrow," he stated carelessly.

Elijah raised his eyebrows.

"What?"

"I'll have lunch here and I'll need some privacy," Klaus said, keeping his tone neutral. "But The First Class Lounge is very nice, I'm confident you'll be fine there."

Elijah didn't seem pleased at all.

"I see. Who is she?"

"Who?" Klaus asked innocently.

Elijah rolled his eyes.

"The woman who you are bringing here."

Klaus smirked, there was no way he would ever let Elijah know about the whole valet thing.

"A gentleman never kiss and tell."

"Since when?" Elijah huffed.

Perhaps he had a point; Klaus had never had any problem to talk about his conquests. Except that this girl wasn't a conquest. What was she then, he wasn't really sure, all he knew was that he was already looking forward to see her again. What was wrong with him? He was a thousand years old vampire, not some foolish human man. He didn't like humans and he certainly didn't want them to like him. Yet there had been something strangely captivating about this human, her company had felt pleasant. Klaus bit his bottom lip and ran his left thumb over the back of his right hand, his hands were still warm.

"Since now," Klaus replied coolly. "Good night, brother."

* * *

><p>Clarissa Spencer was furious when she marched to her family's suite; she had never felt so humiliated. Her father was one of the wealthiest and the most powerful men in England and she herself was gorgeous, everyone thought so. Any man would have done anything to have her attention, not to mention have an opportunity to dance with her. She has had more suitors than she could remember; any of them would have chopped off their right arm if she would have asked.<p>

None of them had been the worthy of her time, but this man, Niklaus Mikaelson, had managed to catch her interest. He was the most handsome man she had ever seen and she had decided that she wanted him to court her. She wanted him to worship her and give her expensive gifts, just like her other suitors, he was the man who she could have considered marrying. How dared he to walk away from her?

"Darling…" her mother started and tried to touch her shoulder, but Clarissa slapped her hand away.

"How could he do that, mother? How could he humiliate me like that?"

"Oh, darling, you heard his brother; he had to send that telegram. Probably some important business matter…"

"Why didn't he come back?" Clarissa shouted and grabbed the first object within her reach, a flower vase sitting on a table, and threw it against the wall. "He had an opportunity to dance with me!"

"He didn't deserve that opportunity, darling, there are plenty of better…"

"No! I want him!"

Clarissa turned to look at her father who had stepped over the shattered pieces of the flower vase and sat down on the sofa.

"Father?"

"What would you like me to do, sweetheart?" he sighed. "I cannot force him to dance with you."

Clarissa gasped, her eyes were watering up.

"Charles!" Henrietta snapped and wrapped her arms around her daughter. "How dare you to upset our daughter like this?"

"Forgive me, dear, but there is nothing I can do, he is not something I can buy for her."

"I want him," Clarissa sobbed. "Mother…"

"Shh, shh, it's alright, darling," Henrietta assured and stroked Clarissa's back. "Mother will fix this."

Clarissa buried her face in her mother's shoulder in order to hide her smile. Her tears weren't real; they never were, just a way for her to get what she wanted. She always got what she wanted.

"Now," Henrietta said and pulled away. "We need to make a plan."

Clarissa nodded and allowed her mother to wipe away her tears with a silk handkerchief.

"My beautiful girl," Henrietta said gently.

Clarissa knew that she was beautiful, but she never get tired of hearing it, especially from men.

"Charles, we are going to need Lewis," Henrietta said determinedly.

"Yes, dear," Charles muttered. "I will notify him in the morning."

Clarissa pouted her lips, she didn't want to wait. Lewis was one of her father's valets and he was specialized in "delicate" matters. In short, he fixed problems for the Spencer family and he got paid generously for it. Clarissa had a very short temper and she had sometimes attacked her maids who had displeased her, but no one knew about that, thanks to Lewis. He was the one who paid them off or threatened them to keep their mouth shut and got rid of them. Clarissa had absolutely no respect towards the help; to her their only purpose was to serve her; that was what they got paid to do.

When she had been 14, one of her mother's maids have had a daughter, an arrogant little bitch who had thought that she was Clarissa's equal. She had hated that little servant brat, especially when the boys had started to pay attention to her instead of Clarissa. She still couldn't understand what they had seen in that ugly bitch, but she had certainly put her back in her place.

The thought still made her smile, although it had cost her father a lot to clean up that little mess. That had been the first time when her father had been angry at her, but all she had needed to do was cry a little and lie that she was sorry, it had been an accident. Why the hell would she have been sorry, the little bitch had deserved what she had got? Clarissa hadn't heard anything from the servant brat after her father had forced her to go to the hospital and apologize. That had actually been fun; the little bitch had been crying like an infant, she had lost her eyesight for good. No man would want her now and Clarissa had said that to her. She would be alone in the darkness for the rest of her pathetic life.


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you for the reviews, favs and alerts. Viola is portrait by Lily Collins and yes, it was Clarissa who caused her blindness.**

* * *

><p>I felt tired when I woke up, the night had been restless. Papa had been tossing and turning in his bed, walked back and forth and gone out few times, probably because he had been nauseous. He was obviously suffering from withdrawals; he was trying to get rid of his addiction. He had promised that things would be better when we would reach America and I really hoped that he would succeed, but it was terrible to know that he was suffering. At least he sounded peaceful now; I listened to his breathing for a moment before getting up.<p>

Fortunately I remembered that I was in a bunk bed before I got into a sitting position, this time I managed not to hit my head. I smelled the alcohol and heard Billy snoring in the top bunk above me; he had come here late last night. Tommy hadn't been pleased at all; he had called his brother every name in the book and slapped him few times. They would have probably started fighting if papa wouldn't have yelled at them. I had been scared, Billy had been so drunk that he had fell on my bed, but thankfully Tommy had yanked him off me.

"Good morning," Tommy's sleepy voice muttered from the top bunk above papa.

"Good morning," I replied and stretched my arms when I stood up.

Tommy yawned and jumped on the floor.

"Idiot," he murmured and I heard him slapping something, probably Billy. "Get up, you ass!"

"No, please don't," I said quickly, I didn't want them to start fighting. Fortunately Tommy understood, he settled for murmuring something rather unfriendly about his "sluggish, no-good, ale-drinking, lousy, moron" brother.

"How about we'll get some breakfast?" he asked after giving his brother a piece of his mind, although I doubted that Billy had heard a word, he was still snoring.

"Sure," I replied and kneeled next to papa's bed. "Papa?"

"Hmm?"

"Would you like some breakf…"

"No," he snapped tensely.

"Are you sure? I can bring you something…"

"I said no!" he shouted, making me to back away so fast that I almost fell down.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," he muttered, he sounded exhausted. "I don't want you to be here right now, I'm…tired."

It hurt me to hear the distress in his voice.

"Please, is there anything I can do?"

He sighed and touched my cheek.

"Yes, go with Tommy. As I said, I don't want you to be here, go to the deck or to the General Room or something, but stay close to Tommy."

"But…"

"Come on, sweetness," Tommy cut in and wrapped his arm around me. I didn't resist when he helped me up. "Why don't you get dressed and we'll go and find some breakfast."

I had forgotten that I was still wearing my nightgown, I reached for my dress which I had placed in the end of my bed, but it wasn't there, I only found my petticoat.

"Here," Tommy said before I started to look for it. "I'll just…turn around."

I really didn't feel comfortable, but I had to get dressed. Thankfully Billy was still snoring. Papa had fallen asleep as well, so I had to ask Tommy to hand me my hairbrush, it was probably still in papa's suitcase.

"Do I look alright?" I asked after brushing my hair.

"Yes, you look nice," Tommy replied and handed me my cane. I took it in my right hand and allowed him to take my left hand; he led me to the bathroom across the hallway. He couldn't come in with me, since it was for women, but thankfully there was a nice Irish lady who guided me to the basin.

"Tommy?" I said when we were heading to the Third Class dining room for breakfast.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think… Is papa going to be alright?"

I felt him tensing; he was squishing my hand a little tighter.

"Sure," he muttered.

"Please…tell me the truth," I asked quietly.

He was quiet for a moment before stopping and pulling me against the wall with him.

"Do you know why he is sick?" he asked tensely.

I nodded.

"Yes, I think so."

"Right… What he's doing right now isn't easy, but he's doing it for you, for giving you the better life in America. He needs to… get well. Do you understand what I mean?"

"I…"

Tommy sighed and placed his hands on my shoulders.

"Your father loves you, sweetness, don't ever forget that."

"I won't," I muttered. "Thank you."

"Sure. So, what do you want to do today?"

I hesitated, I hadn't told him yet about meeting Klaus.

"Actually… You remember Klaus, the man who we met last night?"

"Sure," Tommy replied, he sounded strangely cheerful. "Nice fellow."

I was surprised by his reaction, but also relieved; I had been prepared for a debate.

"He invited us to take a walk on the deck with him after breakfast and I would like to…"

"Absolutely," Tommy interrupted me. "Sounds like fun."

I was even more surprised, this had been much easier than I had thought.

"Great, I… Great."

I was looking forward to meet Klaus again; I hoped to get my mind off papa. I wanted to be there for him, but I had to respect his wish, this was something he needed to do by himself. Maybe something good could come out of all this if he could get rid of opium. Whatever had happened to him few nights ago had made him want to try and I was grateful for that.

* * *

><p>Klaus looked at his reflection in the mirror while combing his hair, he had skipped breakfast. The last thing he needed right now was some pointless chitchat with some indifferent people. Elijah had ordered some tea to their suite, but Klaus hadn't wanted any, he had been too restless. He looked at his pocket watch; it was almost time to go. He was wearing a dark suit, but that didn't matter, the First Class valets dressed neatly as well. His hair didn't look as good as he hoped, perhaps he should… Wait, what was he doing? First of all, she couldn't see his hair and second of all, why the hell would it matter? For heaven's sake… He huffed and placed the comb on the dresser, perhaps some fresh air would clear his head.<p>

"Good morning, sir," the maid said when he stepped out from his bedroom, she was just pouring some tea for Elijah.

"Good morning," Klaus murmured and was just about to head to the door when he realized something. His skin was cold; he needed to drink something warm. Without saying anything, he marched in front of the armchair where Elijah was sitting and yanked the teacup from his hand. Elijah's eyes widened.

"What…"

Klaus emptied the cup with one gulp and gave it back.

"Thank you, brother."

Elijah was too stunned to say anything; Klaus gave him a grin before marching out. He went straight to the First Class deck and walked down the stairs to the Third Class deck. There were plenty of people there enjoying the fresh air, no one seemed to pay any particular attention to him. Some small children ran past him, they were laughing and screaming in delight. Slowly he made his way to the bench where he and Viola had sat last night, there was a couple sitting there now, the woman was holding a baby.

He didn't have to wait for long when Viola and her cousin Tommy arrived. Tommy spotted Klaus and greeted him with a nod before leading Viola to him. Yes, Klaus had compelled Tommy to think that he was nice and trustworthy; Viola should spent time with him. Her cousin wouldn't have no doubt let her come anywhere near Klaus otherwise. Viola was feeling the deck with her cane while she walked; there was no hesitation or uncertainty in her steps. Klaus couldn't help but wonder had she been blind since birth. She looked just as beautiful as last night; there was something ethereal about her.

"Good morning," Klaus said politely when she and Tommy were in front of him.

"Good morning," she replied smiling. "You're here."

"Of course, that was what we agreed upon, wasn't it?"

She stepped closer to him and placed her cane under her armpit in order to free both of her hands, then she reached for his hands. He raised them in front of her and allowed her to take them between hers.

"Warm this time," she said smiling.

Klaus was glad that he had remembered to drink that tea, although he didn't mind her warming him up. Tommy was calmly observing them; Klaus was planning to get rid of him as soon as possible.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked when she let go of his hands.

"Yes," she replied, trying to keep the smile on her face. He could tell right away that she was lying; she wasn't very good at it. "How about you?"

"I can't complain. Shall we take that walk then?"

"Yes," she replied and raised her left elbow; she had her cane in her right hand. Klaus wrapped his arm around hers; it came strangely natural to him.

"I'm sorry, I forgot to bring your jacket back," she said.

"That's alright, love, you can keep it, I have others."

"No, no, I'll bring it back. Although it smells very nice, I kept it next to my pillow last night."

Klaus grinned, but Viola blushed immediately after saying that.

"And I probably shouldn't have said that, you must think I'm…weird."

"No, not at all. I'm flattered."

She laughed and took a deep breath.

"The sun is shining," she sighed. Klaus turned his head towards her.

"How can you tell?"

"I can feel it on my skin."

"Oh."

They walked quietly for a moment; Viola seemed to be concentrated on the sounds around her.

"There are a lot of people here," she said.

"Yes," Klaus replied. "We can find more private place if that bothers you…"

"No, no, I just… I haven't really got used to have so many people around me, back home I spent a lot of time by myself."

"By yourself?" Klaus repeated. "How is that…"

He didn't finish his sentence when he realized how it must sound like.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean…"

"That's alright," she said smiling. "Just because I can't see doesn't mean that I would be completely useless, I can manage all the household chores and I can even take a walk by myself if the place is familiar to me."

"Yes, of course," Klaus muttered. "I apologize."

"There's no need," she assured. "I'm guessing that you haven't spent a lot of time with blind people."

"No, I can't say that I have."

"Most people haven't, but don't worry, you are doing alright. So far."

Her tone was teasing, Klaus couldn't help but smile.

"Thank you."

They were walking very slowly; Klaus was leading her towards the promenade. Her body felt warm against his, he couldn't help but to inhale her scent.

"May I ask you a personal question?" he asked.

"Sure."

"Have you always been…"

"Blind? No, since I was 13."

"Oh. What happened?"

Her body tensed, he could easily hear her heartbeat speeding up.

"It was… an accident," she lied.

Klaus looked at her closely.

"Don't take this the wrong way, love, but you are a terrible liar."

She let out a nervous laugh.

"What?"

"If you don't want to talk about something, you can say so, but I would appreciate if you wouldn't lie to my face, it's disrespectful."

Well, that had certainly been hypocrite. She looked guilty.

"I'm sorry. I don't… This isn't a pleasant topic for me."

"I'm sure it's not. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

She was quiet for a while before speaking.

"I… I was standing in front of a mirror and… Someone hit my head against it. The mirror shattered and… there was a lot of blood. My eyes were damaged for good."

Klaus gritted his teeth.

"Who did that?"

She shook her head.

"It doesn't matter, it's all in the past now. I…had to get over my bitterness."

Klaus stared at her disbelievingly.

"How can you say that? You must want this person to suffer."

She sighed.

"I did and spent months feeling sorry for myself, but it turned out that the self-pity didn't help me at all, on the contrary. I just needed to accept what had happened and try my best to deal with it."

Klaus couldn't understand how she had managed to get over something like that; someone had taken her sight from her. All he would have thought about was how to make that bastard pay.

"Don't tell me that you have forgiven this person," he huffed.

"I have tried to," she sighed. "For myself, not for her, but it would be a lie to say that I have completely forgiven her."

"Nor you should, forgiveness is a weakness."

"Do you really believe that?" she asked.

"Yes, I do," Klaus replied without hesitation. "If someone hurts me, I hurt them back."

She was quiet for a brief moment before replying.

"Does that make you feel better?"

"That's not the point," he muttered tensely. "Some people deserve to be punished."

"I'm sure they do and someday they will be."

"You mean by some higher power?" Klaus huffed.

She nodded.

"Yes, I believe in justice. If not in this world, then in the next."

Klaus wasn't sure what to say, her thoughts were naïve, but obviously she believed what she said.

"That's a nice thought," he huffed. "I almost wish I could believe in it myself."

"Now who's lying?" she asked calmly.

Klaus frowned.

"What?"

"You have experienced bad things in your life, I can tell. Maybe you think it's easier not to care about anything, but you are not as cold as you seem to think."

"No offence, love, but you don't know me," Klaus muttered tensely.

She smiled.

"Maybe not, but I would like to know you. If you let me."

For the first time in a long time, Klaus had no idea what to say. What the hell was this human doing to him? He didn't have time to say anything when a football flew towards Viola; Klaus caught it in the air before it hit her face. His sudden movement frightened her; she couldn't understand what was happening.

"Watch it, you little hooligans or I'll throw your ball in the sea!" he shouted before tossing the ball back to few young boys.

"We're sorry, mister," one of them muttered before they all run away.

"Are you alright?" Klaus asked, placing his hand on Viola's shoulder.

She nodded.

"Yes, I'm fine."

"Nice reflexes, lad" Tommy said and moved in front of Viola. "You sure you're alright, sweetness?"

Klaus had forgotten him completely, the damn third wheel.

"Yes, Tommy, I'm fine…"

"How about we sit down for a moment?" Klaus suggested.

"Sure," Viola replied.

"Great, wait here, I will find us a bench."

Klaus motioned Tommy to come with him.

"You will tell Viola that you have things to do, she will be fine with me."

"Yes," Tommy muttered mechanically.

"Go and do whatever you normally like to do, come back to the same place where you brought Viola after dark. Is there anyone else who might come looking for her?"

Tommy shook his head.

"No, my idiot brother is probably drunk already and her father has his hands full with his withdrawals."

Klaus raised his eyebrows.

"What?"

"He uses opium," Tommy replied. "It got him into trouble and he's trying to stop."

"What kind of trouble?"

"I don't know, he didn't say."

Klaus ran his fingers through his hair; things were getting even more complicated. Normally he wouldn't have got involved in any human's problems at any cost, but now… He looked at Viola who was patiently waiting for him. He had no idea what the hell was going on, but he wanted her. It was some strange, primitive feeling; he had never felt anything like it before and he couldn't understand it. All he knew was that he was definitely in trouble.


	7. Chapter 7

"I… I don't know about this, Klaus," Viola muttered nervously. "Are you sure…"

"It's alright," Klaus said calmingly and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Elij… Mr. Mikaelson isn't in there and he won't be for hours, he had an important meeting in the Lounge. Trust me."

Viola didn't look convinced, but finally she nodded.

"If you're sure that this won't cause you problems…"

"No, not at all, my room is here as well, these suites have a smaller bedroom for the staff of the passengers."

At least that part was true, although Klaus and Elijah didn't have any staff with them, so no one was staying in the third bedroom. Klaus opened the door to their suite and took a quick look around in order to make sure that Elijah wasn't there. Everything looked good, the lunch had been set on the table, just like he had requested. It had taken him a long while to persuade Viola to have a lunch with him in his "employers" suite; she hadn't liked the idea at all.

He didn't think that being alone with him made her nervous, she simply didn't want to cause him problems or run into Elijah. It was way past lunchtime already, but hopefully Elijah would understand to stay at the Lounge. Viola's cautiousness towards the First Class passengers was very clear; Klaus' guess was that it had something to do with her "accident."

"It's alright," he said and took her hand. "There's no one here."

Well, Kol was in the wardrobe room, but he wouldn't bother them. Viola was tense, but she allowed him to lead her inside.

"Something smells very good," she said when he closed the door behind them.

"Why, thank you, I bathed this morning," Klaus replied, making her laugh.

"I meant the food. But you smell nice as well."

Klaus grinned.

"I'm glad to hear that. This way."

"Could you please describe the room to me first," she asked when he took her arm.

"Sure. There's a sofa on three o'clock, back against the wall, two armchairs opposite it and a coffee table between them. The dining table and two chairs are on ten o'clock, behind the armchairs."

"May I count the steps?" she asked.

"Yes, of course. Do you need some help?"

She shook her head.

"No, thank you."

He stayed back and watched her walking around the parlor, touching the walls and the doors to the bedrooms; she kept feeling the floor with her cane as she walked. She stopped next to the sofa, felt it with her hands, then the coffee table and the armchairs. When she reached the dining table, she took a deep breath, apparently smelling the food. The table was very small; it was mostly meant for having some tea or breakfast in the suite, although Elijah had preferred using the coffee table. Now the dining table was covered with a white tablecloth and there was a bottle of wine, two glasses, four plates under the silver cloches and some flowers placed on it. Klaus walked over to the table and pulled out a chair for Viola.

"Here you are."

"Thank you," she said and felt the back of the chair before sitting down. "How did you do this? Got the food here, I mean."

"Well, I have my ways," Klaus replied. "Let's see…"

He lifted the silver cloche in front of her; fortunately the food was still warm.

"Here's some sauté of chicken, filet mignon and vegetables." He paused and lifted the other cloche. "And some vanilla pudding for dessert. I hope you like that."

She looked stunned and leaned towards the plates.

"No, no…"

"You don't like that? I can get you something else…"

"No, that's not what I meant," she said. "You shouldn't have, this must have cost you a fortune…"

"Don't worry about that," he assured. "Only the best for you, I don't often have so lovely company."

His words made her blush, she was delightfully innocent. He could tell by her scent that she was a virgin. That had been one of the things that had drawn him to her in the first place; he had been convinced that her blood would taste delicious. Her blood wasn't what he wanted from her now.

"Would you like some wine?" he asked.

She hesitated.

"I haven't drunk wine before."

"Perhaps just a taste then," he suggested and poured her glass half full. "The glass is in front of your right hand."

She still hesitated before picking the glass up and taking a cautious sip.

"It's not bad," she said. "Different than anything I have tasted."

He poured her some more and filled his own glass. She had managed to find her fork and knife and was feeling her food with them.

"Oh…" she sighed when she tasted the chicken. "This is… divine."

He smiled and took a small bite out of his own food, it wasn't too bad. She was definitely excited and she didn't hide it, she savored every bite. Strangely he actually found watching her eat enjoyable, sometimes he forgot that there were a lot of people who couldn't even dream of eating food like this.

"Is it good?" he asked.

She was so concentrated on eating that she barely managed to nod. They had been on the deck the whole morning, walking around, sitting and talking. He couldn't remember ever doing that with any human, but there was definitely something special about this one. Not just physically, although he had every attention to get to know that part of her as well.

For some strange reason he felt very possessive towards her, even though they had only met yesterday. It was some kind if instinct, he couldn't explain it. He had sometimes felt something slightly similar towards female werewolves, but that had been purely physical attraction. His mother might have smothered his wolf side, but it was still there. But this girl wasn't a werewolf; she was just a human, why was he drawn to her?

"You are an amazing man," she sighed after finishing her dessert. "Almost as amazing as this food."

He chuckled.

"Thank you, I'll take that as a compliment."

She smiled.

"You should, I would like to kiss the person who have cooked this food."

"Oh, didn't I tell you, I cooked this."

She laughed and held out her hand.

"Come here then."

He raised his eyebrows, but she seemed to be serious, she was already standing up. Quickly he followed her example and moved in front of her. She raised her hand in order to feel where his face was and carefully touched his cheek with her fingers before kissing it. Her lips felt warm and soft, his first thought was to grab her and press his lips against hers. Her scent was intoxicating; he wanted to take her right there. He had to struggle to control himself, what the hell was wrong with him.

"Thank you for the lunch," she said smiling.

Most unmarried women would have never got themselves alone with a man without a chaperone, not to mention doing this. The whole thing seemed to be completely natural to her, like they would have known each other for years; she didn't found it in any way inappropriate. Many men would have taken advantage of her naivety; she seemed to sincerely trust him for being a good, honorable man. That was a confusing thought, people didn't think of him as a good man, nor should they.

"You're welcome," he managed to mutter after clearing his throat.

She looked embarrassed and took a step back.

"I made you uncomfortable. I'm sorry, I should have…"

"No, no, you didn't make me uncomfortable," he said quickly. "That was… nice."

She blushed again.

"I… I sometimes forget my manners, it's a bad habit."

He stepped in front of her and softly touched her hair.

"I have the same problem…"

He was just leaning towards her when the door suddenly opened, making her jump.

"Oh," Elijah's voice said from the door. "I apologize, I didn't mean to disturb…"

Klaus gritted his teeth before giving his brother a murderous glare.

"We were just leaving, sir," Viola muttered.

"No, no, there's no need," Elijah replied and marched towards Viola, apparently his manners made him to ignore Klaus' "get the hell out" expression. "I'm Elijah."

Viola was clearly very nervous, but she held out her hand.

"I'm Viola, Niklaus' friend. It's nice to meet you, Mr. Mikaelson."

Elijah looked at her for a brief moment before he understood that she was blind, his eyes widened in surprise.

"The pleasure is mine," he said and shook her hand. "And please call me Elijah."

She looked confused; Klaus glared at his brother and motioned him to leave.

"Thank you for letting us to use the suite… Mr. Mikaelson," he muttered through clenched teeth.

Elijah's expression was simply priceless, in some other situation Klaus would have laughed.

"Yes, thank you," Viola added. "Niklaus have told me how lucky he is to work for you."

That was a lie, but she probably thought that she was helping him. Elijah was speechless; he looked at Klaus and Viola alternately. Klaus wanted to strangle his brother, silently he formed two words: 'say something'. Elijah was starting to understand what was going on; his expression was judgmental to say the least.

"Well… I am glad to hear that," he muttered, giving Klaus a disapproving look.

"Yes, we are all done now and we are leaving. Thank you…sir," Klaus stated tensely.

Viola reached for her cane, but Klaus picked it up first and handed it to her.

"Thank you," she said and startled a little when he wrapped his arm around her in order to get them out faster, he wanted to get away from Elijah's accusative look. His brother was definitely going to lecture him later, damn Mr. Morality. He didn't have to explain himself to anyone, what he did and with who was his own business.

"Oh no…" Viola giggled when they were in the hallway. "I hope you're not in trouble, bringing strange woman in his suite."

"No, no, I told him that you are my fiancée," Klaus replied innocently.

"What?" she gasped.

"I was kidding," Klaus chuckled. "I told him that I would have lunch with an old family friend who I happened to run into here."

"Oh. He didn't seem so bad, not many people would allow their valets to have lunch in their suite."

"No, I suppose they wouldn't," Klaus muttered. "As I said, he has his moments."

He took her hand and led her towards the deck.

"Again, thank you for the lunch," she sighed. "You are very sweet."

"No, I'm really not."

She smiled.

"If you say so."

* * *

><p>"The sky is very clear, like dark velvet, there are no clouds. It's full of thousands of stars and the moon is crescent. I can see the Orion's Belt and the North Star; it's brighter than the others."<p>

I sighed and leaned my head on Klaus' shoulder, I could have spent hours just listening to his voice.

"What else?"

"Well… That's pretty much all I got, I'm sorry."

I laughed and wrapped my arm around his.

"That's alright. Thank you."

The night was chilly and windy, but I wasn't cold, Klaus had brought me a warm blanket. We were sitting on the same bench than last night, the whole day had been amazing, the happiest one in my life. I felt like I would have known Klaus for all my life, as strange as that was. Mama had often told me that she had felt like that when she had met papa, but I hadn't really understood it before, how two people who had just met could feel something like that.

I understood now, there was something very special about Klaus. First of all, he treated me like a woman, not like some poor blind girl. I remembered how boys had looked at me before I had lost my sight and it would be a lie to say that I wouldn't have enjoyed it, I had been a foolish girl. Maybe if I wouldn't have acted the way I did, Clarissa wouldn't have hated me so much. Mama had warned me about her, but I hadn't listened, I had been stupid enough to try on her dress when I had thought that she wasn't home.

I could still remember the rage in her eyes when she had grabbed my hair and hit my head against the mirror; that had been the last thing I had seen. The pain had been terrible; she had kept hitting me with some object when I had lied on the floor. I had been sure that she would kill me and she probably would have if mama and Clarissa's father wouldn't have heard my screams.

Unlike Clarissa and her mother, her father had always been kind towards me; that had been one reason more for her to hate me. Mama hadn't continued working for them, but Mr. Spencer had given her more than generous severance and he had paid all my medical expenses. I had heard mama and papa fighting about that, papa had wanted to make Clarissa pay. That would have never happened; the Spencers had too much money and influence.

I thought that mama had acted smartly when she had accepted their money; she had been able to stay home for a while and help me to adjust my new life. I was still ashamed for all the times when I had acted up to her because of my bitterness and frustration, but she had always been there for me and helped me every way she could. I missed her so much.

"_The moon had climb'd the highest hill__**, **__which rises o'er the source of Dee. And from the eastern summit shed__h__er silver light on tow'r and tree;__when Mary laid her down to sleep,__h__er thoughts on Sandy far at sea. When soft and low, a voice was heard,__s__ay, Mary weep, no more for me…"_

"That's a beautiful song," Klaus said after I was finished.

"Yes, it is. My mama sang it to me every night, she told me that it's a true story about a noble girl called Mary who was engaged to Alexander, but they never got married when he got lost at sea. She never gave up hope that he would one day return to her."

"Hmm. Did he?"

"No, but she never got married, she was faithful to him for the rest of her life. According to the story."

We were both quiet for a while; my head was still leaning on his shoulder. I was tired; I could have fallen asleep right here. Tommy had been here earlier and he had promised to pick me up soon.

"Listen," Klaus said when I yawned. "We don't have to wait for your cousin."

"You want to escort me to my cabin?" I muttered sleepily.

"Actually no," he replied. "I would like you to come with me."

"What?" I asked disbelievingly and raised my head.

"There's a third bedroom on the suite, you can sleep there, I promise that Mr. Mikaelson won't have a problem with that."

"That's… a sweet thought, but it won't be necessary, I have a place to sleep."

"A safe place?" he asked sharply. I didn't appreciate his tone at all.

"Yes, I will be completely safe with my family," I replied firmly. "You don't have to worry about me."

He didn't say anything, but I could sense his tension.

"Klaus?"

"Hmm," he muttered. "Alright, can I see you tomorrow?"

"Sure if you have time. You are working tomorrow, right?"

"What, yes, right. I don't have many things to do tomorrow, how about after lunch?"

I nodded.

"That would be nice."

"Wonderful. Excuse me for a moment."

He stood up and walked away, I heard him coming back after few seconds.

"My leg felt a little numb," he explained.

"Oh."

It didn't take long when Tommy arrived. I would have wanted to kiss Klaus' cheek for goodnight, but I didn't want to do that in front of Tommy.

"Good night," I said and touched his hand before Tommy led me inside. I was already looking forward to tomorrow.


	8. Chapter 8

**Warning, there's some violence in this chapter, marked with xxxxxxx. I also changed the rating, just in case.**

* * *

><p>Clarissa was clenching her fists in rage; she was in a very bad mood. The whole day she had been ready to meet Niklaus Mikaelson, she had looked especially stunning at dinner, but he hadn't been there. Nor had he been at lunch or breakfast, according to his brother, he had been feeling a bit ill. Still he hadn't been in his suite either; Clarissa's maid had made sure of that. This was simply intolerable; men chased her, not the other way around. He would chase her; she would make damn sure of that.<p>

"I'm sure he will be feeling better tomorrow…" her mother was saying, but Clarissa could barely hear her, she was looking at the tall dark-haired man who was standing silently next to the sofa. There was no expression on his face; he was waiting for her orders.

"I want you to follow his every move tomorrow," she said. "I want to know exactly where he is."

"Yes, miss Spencer," Lewis replied. "I will take care of it."

Clarissa hated when things didn't go her way, but perhaps a little challenge could be refreshing for a change. She smiled and looked at her flawless face in the mirror; Niklaus Mikaelson didn't stand a chance.

* * *

><p>"Thank you," Elijah said when the maid poured him some tea. He was sitting on the armchair, glancing at Klaus who was sitting on the sofa with his own tea. Klaus had come back to the suite so late last night that he hadn't run into Elijah, but now they were having their morning tea, Klaus had plenty of time before meeting Viola.<p>

"So, do you have any plans for today?" Elijah asked, keeping his face free from emotions.

Klaus shrugged.

"Perhaps. How about you?"

Elijah's eyebrows furrowed, he waited until the maid had left.

"Niklaus…"

"Don't start," Klaus warned. "This is not any of your business."

Elijah sighed.

"Perhaps not, but playing with a blind girl is low, even for you. No offence."

Klaus' eyes narrowed.

"Is that so?" he asked darkly. "Well, guess what I planned to do with her when I first saw her. That's right, I was planning to drain her and I would have loved every second."

"How nice," Elijah replied coldly. "What are you doing with her now?"

Klaus smirked and placed his empty cup on the coffee table.

"As you said, I'm playing. We still have a long journey ahead of us and I don't like to be bored."

Elijah sighed and shook his head.

"You are hopeless."

"Yes, probably," Klaus huffed. "But I trust you are smart enough for not trying to ruin my fun, you know how I get when someone tries to do that."

Elijah's nostrils flared.

"Was that a threat, brother?"

"No," Klaus replied innocently. "Just a friendly advice."

He stood up and tapped Elijah's shoulder before walking out; he had no intention to continue this conversation. Elijah could think whatever he wanted, it made no difference. In fact, it was definitely better if his brother thought that he was simply playing with the girl. Lazily Klaus made his way to The Lounge; there were few men and one woman playing cards there. Most First Class women spent their time in The Reading and Writing Room, which was meant especially for them, The Lounge and The Smoke Room were mostly for men.

The woman who was playing cards with the men didn't seem out of place at all; she was talking and laughing loudly. Klaus remembered seeing her at lunch two days ago, her name was Margaret Brown. The women, who had sat at the same table with him and Elijah, hadn't thought very highly of her, they had seen her as uncivilized upstart, new money, but apparently she was too wealthy to be completely ignored. She seemed to be quite a character. Klaus considered joining the game, but he didn't feel like sitting indoors, the deck sounded much better. He still had time; perhaps he would take a seat and order a drink. He barely made it to the deck and leaned against the railing when someone appeared next to him.

"Good morning, Mr. Mikaelson," a perky woman's voice said. Oh great… He suppressed his sigh and turned to look at the young blonde who was standing next to him, he had forgotten her completely.

"Miss Marissa," he muttered.

She looked more than offended, but she managed to hide it quickly.

"Clarissa," she corrected, keeping the sweet smile on her face.

"Yes, right. I apologize."

"That's alright," she said and blinked her big blue eyes. "It's such a beautiful morning."

"Yes, it is."

"I didn't see you at breakfast."

"I wasn't there; my brother and I had tea in our suite."

"Oh, I understand, I'm not much of a morning person myself," she purred.

"Hmm."

Klaus wasn't even slightly interested in her company, but she kept babbling. Finally she paused and leaned towards him.

"I was hoping that I could ask you a favor," she said shyly. "I would like to take a walk on the Promenade Deck, but I don't have anyone to escort me, I would feel much safer if I would have a strong gentleman like you by my side."

Klaus raised his eyebrows.

"There are many people on the Promenade Deck, I'm sure you will be safe there."

There was a glimpse of something dark in her eyes, before she managed to place a coy smile on her face.

"I haven't got used to be all alone," she said innocently. "How a fragile woman like me could defend herself if someone would harass me."

"I'm sure you will manage," Klaus huffed and was about to turn around when Clarissa started to shake.

"Oh, I feel dizzy…" she sighed and fell down, forcing Klaus to catch her. Honestly? He could have just let her fall on the deck, but this was probably the easier way to get rid of her.

"I need some help here," he said, trying not to sound annoyed. "The lady needs a doctor."

Fortunately there were few people on the deck, one man ran inside to get the doctor while others gathered around him and "fainted" Clarissa.

"What happened?" some woman asked.

"I don't know, she just fainted," Klaus replied. "Could someone help me, my arms are getting numb."

He had said that on purpose and clearly Clarissa could hear his every word, she clenched her fists in anger when he implied that she was heavy. Not a very gentlemanly thing to do, but this woman was really getting on his nerves. He had never liked women like her, but for some reason she annoyed him particularly much.

"I'll take her," some man offered, making Clarissa to immediately open her eyes.

"Mr. Mikaelson?" she said weakly. "Please don't leave me…"

"The doctor is on his way, miss," he interrupted her and shoved her on the other man's arms. "He can offer you much better assistance than I can. Excuse me."

The other people gave him disapproving looks for abandoning "the poor girl", but he couldn't have cared less about that. He headed straight to the Third Class deck, it was much better to wait for Viola there. After walking around for a while, he went back to the First Class deck and asked a steward to get him his sketchpad; he needed something to do to past the time. Fortunately no one was sitting on his and Viola's bench; he could settle there and start sketching. Viola arrived with her cousin right after lunch, Klaus stood up and took her hands while greeting her.

"Have you been here for long?" she asked.

"No, not very long," he lied. "I took my sketchpad with me to keep me occupied."

"Oh, you can draw?"

"More or less, it's just a hobby. You know, drawing, painting, I have always been interested in art."

"That sounds nice," she said. "What kind of things do you paint?"

"Sceneries, buildings, sometimes people," he replied. "That depends on my mood."

He leaned over and softly touched her cheek while tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. If he wasn't mistaken, his touch sent goose bumps down her neck. The realization made him smile.

"I would love to paint you sometimes," he stated smoothly.

She let out a nervous laugh; she didn't seem to know how to reply.

"I'm serious, love," he assured. "What do you say?"

"I… Sure, if you want to."

"Yes, I do."

The blush was rising in her cheeks, clearly she was flattered. He couldn't help but to think how easy target she would be to any bastard who would want to take advantage of her innocence. She was a smart girl, but she was also naïve as far as men were concerned. But then again, her cousin would have looked after her if Klaus wouldn't have compelled him to think that he wasn't a threat. He definitely was a threat, the most dangerous predator she would ever meet.

* * *

><p>"Are you sure about this, love?" Klaus asked. "There's going to be a lot of people there, we can just go back to the deck…"<p>

"I want to do this," I interrupted him. "I'm not some doll, Klaus, I won't break."

"No, of course not, I just…."

I couldn't help but smile, he was worried about me. That was so sweet.

"I promised Tommy a dance, he said that he has never been in a party like these, there's some man who plays harmonica and other man who plays fiddle…"

"Yes, yes, I understand," Klaus muttered. "Of course we can go if you want."

Tommy had told me this morning about the party he and Billy had been last night, there had been plenty of people there, men, women and children. The Third Class passengers certainly weren't invited to the balls that were organized for the First and the Second Class passengers, but we were allowed to have our own parties in the Third Class Dining Room. There was no orchestra or anything like it, just passengers who could play some instrument.

I was excited; I had never been in a party or danced. Tommy had assured that it wasn't difficult, just moving with the rhythm. I only wished that papa would have joined us, but he hadn't felt much better today. At least he had eaten, that was a start. I would have liked him to meet Klaus, but I had no idea how he would react. Today had been just as amazing as yesterday, Klaus and I had spent most of it on the deck. We had even had some tea and sandwiches at the bow of the ship, Klaus had somehow got us a permission to go there.

I didn't think that I would ever forget that experience, the sea breeze on my face and the sound of the huge waves hitting against the ship's bow. Klaus was truly an amazing man; I couldn't believe how lucky I had been to meet him. A part of me worried that I would never meet him again after we would reach New York, but I didn't want to worry about that, I wanted to enjoy this time we had together. Whatever would happen, I would never forget him.

He was squishing my hand tighter when we approached the Dining Room, I could already hear the music and cheerful voices of people talking and laughing. So many voices, many of them sounded to be more or less drunk. People were clapping their hands, stumping their feet and cheering. Klaus wrapped his arm protectively around me when we entered the Dining Room, I could feel how tense he was. All the loud noises made me a little nervous, but I was also excited.

"Momma, why does that lady have a cane?" I heard a child's voice asking.

"Because she can't see, sweetheart," a woman's voice replied. "She's blind."

"Oh. Am I going to be blind too if I touch her?"

"No, sweetheart, but don't go near her, she might accidently step on you or hit you with that cane."

"Listen, lady…" Klaus started angrily, but I stopped him.

"Please, don't," I asked quietly and stroked his arm until he calmed down. "Is there any place where we could sit?"

"Yes," he muttered and led me towards the wall; apparently there were empty seats there. "Some people just don't have any manners."

I smiled.

"That was nothing; you should have heard some of the things people have said to me. There was this one man in our neighborhood who was always drunk; he kept calling me Satan's harlot. You know, because God have punished me with blindness."

"I would have ripped his tongue off," Klaus replied.

I was sure that he was joking, so I laughed.

"My knight in shining armor. But really, I don't care what people say, those are just words. Yes, I was more sensitive at first and I was ashamed of myself, but I had to get over that, otherwise I couldn't have left home at all."

He was quiet for a while; I wanted to ask what he was thinking. Suddenly an unpleasant thought crossed my mind. Maybe I didn't care about people saying things and staring at me, but he might.

"I'm sorry, you haven't got used to people staring at you and everything, I haven't even asked…"

"Hey," he interrupted me. "People can stare at me as much as they want. If they are foolish enough."

I laughed.

"You're not embarrassed?"

"Embarrassed for what? For being with a beautiful woman?"

His words made my heart skip a beat; that had been the sweetest thing anyone had ever said to me.

"Would you like to be really embarrassed?" I asked. "Would you like to dance with me?"

"That would be an honor," he replied and took my hand.

"I have to warn you, I have never danced before, but I'll try my best for not to crush your toes…"

"It's alright," he said. "Relax and follow my lead. I won't let you fall, I promise."

His words almost brought tears to my eyes.

"Thank you. I trust you."

I felt almost naked without my cane, but I did trust Klaus and I felt safe when he wrapped his arms around me.

"Here we go…"

It was surprisingly easy for me to move my legs with the music; the rhythm was cheerful and vivacious. Klaus was right there; I felt his body pressing against mine and tried my best to move with him. At first I was very cautious, but when I truly realized that he wouldn't let me fall, I allowed myself to let go and really moved my whole body with the rhythm. I didn't care how ridiculous I looked like, that was one of the rare perks for not seeing how other people looked at me. I heard people cheering and clapping their hands, some men even whistled.

"Go Viola!" Tommy's voice shouted.

I laughed when Klaus spun me around and around until I lost my balance and would have fallen down if he wouldn't have caught me. I danced with Tommy next, then with Klaus again. Some other men would have wanted to dance with me as well, but I heard Klaus growling at them that I was spoken for. I couldn't believe my ears, was he actually jealous?

"Would you like something to drink?" he asked after escorting me back to our seats, I really needed to catch my breath.

"Some water would be wonderful, thank you," I replied.

I couldn't remember ever being so happy, in that moment everything felt perfect.

"Thank you so much," I said when Klaus handed me a glass of water. I was so thirsty that I drank it all with few gulps and sighed in content. "So, are you embarrassed yet?" I asked teasingly.

I felt him moving closer to me and touching my cheek.

"I'm going to kiss you now, love," he announced determinedly.

"Wait," I gasped and placed my hand on his chest. "I mean… I want to kiss you, but there's something I would like to do first."

"What's that?"

I bit my bottom lip.

"I would like to… see you. If that's alright."

Clearly he couldn't understand what I meant.

"Sure… What do you need me to do?"

"Hold still."

He didn't say anything when I leaned over and placed my hands on his shoulders. Carefully I felt his neck before sliding my fingers towards his chin. He was motionless like a statue when I touched his cheeks, his lips, his nose, his forehead and finally his hair. His lips felt so nice that I had to touch them again, but I didn't think that he minded, he parted them a little when I caressed them with my fingers.

"You are beautiful," I said, once again, before thinking.

He didn't say anything; he wrapped his arms around me and hauled me tightly against him. My heart was beating like a drum when he caressed my lips with his thumb before softly pressing his lips against mine. I had never been kissed before, so I had no idea what he wanted me to do, but he definitely knew what he was doing. Slowly he moved his lips, tasting every part of my mouth.

I was a little nervous at first, but he knew how to make me relax, his hand caressed my hair and his lips slowly but surely softened mine to better fit his. After he felt me relaxing, he took a hold of the back of my head and coaxed my mouth open with his tongue. It tickled at first, but then I felt something very different. I moaned in his mouth and he continued moving his tongue in my mouth until I let out a quiet whimper of protest, I felt that I couldn't breathe. I was gasping for air when he pulled away.

"Jesus…" he muttered. "Come with me."

"What…"

He was already pulling me on my feet and leading me towards the door.

"Klaus, what are you doing…"

He didn't stop before we were on the hallway; I made him to stop by refusing to take another step.

"What are you doing?" I asked again.

He pressed me against the wall, not roughly, but still that startled me.

"I want you, Viola," he said, his voice sounded strange. "All of you."

My mouth floundered open and closed, it took a moment before I managed to speak.

"No, Klaus, no."

"Why not?" he asked. "I know you can feel it too, this thing between us."

"I…Yes, I feel…something, but I'm not ready…"

I startled again when he cupped my face.

"I won't hurt you, I swear, just let me have you. Come with me and you don't have to worry about anything, I will look after you, your father, your cousins and whatever other relatives you have. You will have everything you ever need."

"Please…" I said quietly. "You are scaring me."

"What? No, no, you have no reason to be scared…"

"I would like you to leave, please," I muttered, I really was scared now. He was acting very strangely and for a moment I thought that he was going to hurt me.

"Viola…"

I flinched when he touched my hair; that made him to take a step back.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean any of that, I must have drunk too much…"

"That's alright," I said, forcing a smile on my face. "How about we both go to sleep now, things will be better in the morning."

"Viola…"

"Good night, Klaus."

I felt tears burning behind my eyes when I headed to our cabin, how could I have been so wrong about him. I didn't have my cane and I there was no way I would go back to look for it, but that didn't really matter, the hallway was very narrow and fortunately I had memorized the way. It was very quiet when I reached the bathroom near to our cabin; I decided to wash my face.

There was no one there, but that certainly wasn't a bad thing, I needed a moment to pull myself together before facing papa. I couldn't understand what had happened, what had made Klaus to suddenly act like that. I was just washing my face when I heard someone entering the room, but I didn't pay much attention to that. Then someone grabbed me from behind and a hand covered my mouth before I could make a sound.

"Not a sound, you little whore," a man's voice whispered. It wasn't Klaus; I had no idea who this man was. I was panicking and I tried to struggle, but then I felt something cold and sharp pressing against my throat.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Can you feel that?" he whispered. "Hold still or I will cut your throat."

Tears were coursing down my cheeks, I was terrified.

"Wha-what do you want?" I managed to sob when he removed his hand from my mouth. He didn't say anything, I felt him sliding his hand down my side.

"No!" I cried out when he lifted the hem of my dress. "Please…"

"Shut up," he snapped and pressed the knife harder against my throat, it broke my skin.

"This is what a little whore like you wants, isn't it?" he asked and painfully bruised my inner thigh.

"No…"

I cried harder when his fingers circled the edging of my knickers.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Now you will listen to me very carefully, little whore, this is the first and the last warning you are going to get," he snarled. "If you ever go near Niklaus Mikaelson again or tell anyone about this, I will come back and I will finish what I started. After that, I will kill your father. Do you understand?"

I was in panic, but somehow I managed to nod. That wasn't enough for him; he grabbed my other thigh so roughly that I cried out.

"Say it!"

"I-I won't go anywhere near Niklaus Mikaelson."

Niklaus Mikaelson? That didn't make any sense; that was the name of his employer… I whimpered in pain when my attacker grabbed my hair.

"Good girl. Keep your word and you will never see me again…sorry, poor choice of words. I'm sure you understand what I mean."

I didn't have time to say anything when he threw me against the wall; I fell down on the floor and started to sob again. I couldn't move, not even after I heard him leaving. I simply wrapped my arms around me and cried.


	9. Chapter 9

Klaus paced back and forth on the deck, desperately trying to regain his self-control. He still couldn't understand what the hell had happened; something about Viola had made him to completely lose it. He had tasted thousands and thousands of women and felt lust towards most of them, but this was something completely different, he simply needed to have this woman. Yes, acting like a creepy caveman had certainly made her want him.

He growled in frustration and kicked the bench, he needed to fix this. Truth be told, if he could have compelled her to forget his earlier behavior, he would have done it without hesitation. Unfortunately that wasn't an option; he had to for once do this the hard way. She would understand, she had to, there was no other option.

Determinedly he marched back inside without stopping to formulate any kind of plan; he would simply go to her cabin and apologize. The fact that she probably wouldn't be alone in her cabin didn't even cross his mind, it made no difference. He had almost reached the door to her cabin when he saw her coming out from the bathroom; he could tell right away that something was really wrong. She was shaking, tearful and there was a small cut on her throat.

"Viola!"

He was in front of her in a fraction of a second, examining her wound.

"What happened…" he started and touched her cheek.

"Don't touch me!" she shouted and backed away. "Whoever you are, don't touch me!"

"What are you talking about, love?" he asked and took a step towards her. Then the realization hit him, filling him with rage.

"Someone did this to you? Do you have other injuries, let me see…"

"No!" she shouted and continued backing away. Tears were rolling down her cheeks; she seemed to be in shock. "I don't want any help from you, Niklaus _Mikaelson_!"

Her words made him froze, what the hell had happened?

"I can explain, it's not what you think…"

She laughed bitterly.

"Really? You didn't lie to me that your last name is Smith and you're a valet? I wasn't just some joke to you?"

"No, you weren't, I swear…"

She snorted and shook her head.

"Don't bother; I don't believe anything you say."

Klaus gritted his teeth and tried to stay calm.

"Yes, my last name is Mikaelson and I'm not a valet. Elijah is my brother, not my employer."

She flinched, like he would have just slapped her. It took a moment before she managed to speak.

"Well, I hope you and your rich friends had a good laugh."

"No, it wasn't like that, I only said that I'm a valet, because I didn't think you would speak to me otherwise. I really wanted to get to know you."

"By lying to me?"

"No… Look, we can talk about this later; right now I need to know do you have other injuries and who did this to you."

"Someone who wanted me to stay away from you," she snapped and wrapped her arms around her. "I would have done that without any threats…"

"What?"

Klaus stepped in front of her and grabbed her arms.

"Who was it?"

"I don't know, some man. It doesn't matter…"

"Like hell it doesn't," Klaus snarled. "I will find that bastard, I promise you…"

"No!" she snapped and freed her arms. "Didn't you hear anything I said, I want you to stay away from me."

"I'm afraid I can't do that," he replied firmly. "You are coming with me."

"No, I'm not. Are you insa…"

She didn't have time to finish her sentence when he grabbed her hips and lifted her over his shoulder; there was no way he was going to leave her here unprotected. She could be as angry as she wanted, but he needed to keep her safe until he would find the soon to be dead bastard who had attacked her.

"Let me go!" she shouted. "Someone help me!"

"Please stop that," Klaus asked calmly. "I'm doing this to protect you…"

"Get your hands off my daughter, you son of a bitch!" a man's voice shouted, he was running towards Klaus. This man was in his forties, medium high and very pale. His dark brown hair was messy, he had dark circles under his eyes and he hadn't shaved for few days. Klaus managed to make an eye contact before the man, who obviously was Viola's father, Stephen Clayton, reached him.

"Calm down."

Stephen stopped immediately and stared at him.

"I am trying to help your daughter," Klaus said calmly.

"Yes…"

"No, papa, he's lying, please help me," Viola pleaded. "Don't let him take me."

Stephen seemed confused and distressed; Klaus sighed and placed Viola on the floor.

"Look, Mr. Clayton," he said and pointed at the wound on Viola's neck. "Someone just attacked your daughter; I need to take her away from here in order to protect her."

Stephen seemed even paler, if that was possible, for a moment Klaus thought that he would faint.

"What? No, no… It's not possible, it couldn't have followed us here…"

Klaus frowned.

"What are you talking about?"

Stephen started to shake before bursting into tears.

"I'm so sorry…"

Viola stepped forward and opened her arms; her father wrapped his arms tightly around her and buried his face in her hair.

"I'm so sorry, sweetheart," he cried. "Please don't hate me, please."

"No, of course not, papa," Viola assured calmingly. "Please tell me what is wrong."

"I did a terrible thing, I didn't mean to, I swear. I… I thought that you would be safe if we would leave from England…"

"What did you do?" Klaus asked sharply.

Stephen raised his head and looked at him.

"Who are you?"

"I'm someone who can keep your daughter safe, but I need to know what I am protecting her from."

Stephen looked at him suspiciously.

"Why would you want to protect her?"

Klaus didn't have time or patience for this, so he solved things the easy way, by using compulsion.

"Tell me what you did."

"No, papa, you don't have to tell him anything…" Viola started.

"I lost Viola in a card game," Stephen said, his voice was full of agony.

Viola looked shocked, she was unable to speak.

"What?" Klaus asked icily.

Stephen's eyes were filling with fresh tears.

"I was really messed up that night, I had used… Not just alcohol. I was with couple of lads; we were in this… place where I used to spent time. We started to play cards and… there was this man, I hadn't seen him before, he wanted to join the game. He had money, so of course we agreed. I don't remember much about what happened next, just that I had a great hand, a winning hand, but I didn't have enough bets to call and someone suggested… It was a winning hand, I wasn't supposed to lose."

Viola's face was completely blank, she didn't say anything.

"Sweetheart…"

"Who did you lose her to?" Klaus asked coolly.

"To this…man who I didn't know, but…he wasn't a man."

Klaus frowned.

"What?"

Stephen was swallowing his tears.

"Next morning I woke up in my own bed and I thought it had just been a nightmare, but then… he came to claim his…winning. His face…he wasn't a human."

"Hmm. Do you know his name?"

"I… He had a British accent, but his name was strange, Kul or something like that."

"Kol," Klaus muttered callously.

Stephen nodded.

"Yeah, that was it. How did you know?"

Klaus pressed his lips together and looked at Viola.

"Lucky guess."


	10. Chapter 10

**Thank you so much for the reviews, favs and alerts :) I felt like expanding the chapters I've written, so there's going to be closer to 20 chapters. I'll try my best not to make the story too stuffed :) Here are answers to your questions: yes, Kol will be undaggered when the ship rams the iceberg and Klaus can't compel Viola because she's blind, she can't see his compulsion. About Clarissa, she has got used to get what she wants, it doesn't really matter if Klaus is interested or not, she can't accept that he wouldn't be. Okay, here's the next chapter, it's a flashback.**

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><p>London, 1 week earlier<p>

Kol was in an excellent mood when he walked across a narrow street, he didn't even care that he had to come to shabby neighborhood like this. The place was far from the centre of London, there were small, sleazy houses side by side. Everything looked simply filthy. Hopefully the girl wouldn't be filthy as well. Not that it mattered, this wasn't really about her, what he wanted was to see the look on her father's face when he would realize what he had done. It hadn't been difficult to tell that the girl meant everything to this man, losing her would kill him.

The best part was that he could only blame himself for it, who would gamble away his own daughter. Kol grinned, perhaps he have had something to do with that, but the opportunity had been simply too delicious to be skipped. Besides, it wasn't his fault that the man had lost, he hadn't cheated. At least not much. Who said that opium dens couldn't be fun places?

He had truly enjoyed his time in London and he had a feeling that he would soon enjoy it even more. This should be the right house. He frowned, the place was a real hellhole, he couldn't believe that people actually lived like this. There was some laundry hanging in the small front yard, he walked over to the door and knocked. It didn't take long when it opened, he saw a young woman who had long brown hair, green eyes and very full lips. She looked…delicious.

"Yes?" she asked, she wasn't looking at him. That was a little strange, unless… She was blind. His lips curved into a smirk.

"Good morning, miss," he said politely. "I am here to meet Stephen Clayton. You must be his lovely daughter."

"Yes," she replied and held out her hand. "I'm Viola."

He took her hand and touched it softly with his lips, she smelled just as delicious as she looked. This had to be his lucky day.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Kol."

"Are you a friend of papa's?" she asked.

"Yes, I am. Is he at home?"

She nodded.

"Yes, but he is still sleeping, I can wake him up."

"That would be wonderful, thank you."

"Sure. You can come in if you like, sir, I can get you a cup of tea."

Well, wasn't she sweet.

"Thank you, darling, I would love to come in. And please call me Kol."

"Sure. Is that a short for something?"

"No, it's just Kol."

She stepped back and let him in; he turned up his nose when he saw the very modest living room/kitchen. There weren't much furniture, only a small table, three chairs, a worn-out sofa, an armchair and a small bookshelf.

"You have a lovely home," he lied.

"Thank you. You can take a seat if you want, I will be right back."

She walked over to the closed door that apparently led to a bedroom. Her steps were very confident; obviously she knew every part of this house.

"Papa?" she said after knocking the door. She didn't get any reply, but she still opened the door and went in.

"Papa, you have a guest."

"Hmm…" a man's voice muttered.

"I will get him some tea, come out when you are ready."

"Sure… I'll be right there…"

Kol sat down at the table and made himself comfortable, the fun part was about to begin. He observed the girl when she came back; he liked what he was seeing. Pretty little thing.

"He will be here soon," she said and walked over to the stove; the tea water was already boiling. Apparently she had been making morning tea for herself. She opened a small cupboard and picked up two cups, cheap porcelain.

"Do you use sugar or honey?" she asked. "I'm afraid we don't have any cream."

"I'll have whatever you are having," he replied.

"Alright, honey it is."

She really seem to know her way around the kitchen, if he wouldn't have known that she was blind, he would have never guessed it when he looked at her now.

"Here you are," she said when she handed him his tea.

"Thank you, darling."

"You're welcome," she replied and sat down opposite him. "So, have you known papa for long?"

"No, not very long."

He continued observing her when she took a sip out of her cup; she blinked her eyes and looked a little uncomfortable, or maybe even nervous, like she would have known that he was staring at her. He smiled; she would be a perfect toy. Perhaps just for tonight, perhaps for longer, who knew. He never made any long-term plans; he did what he wanted when he wanted.

"How did you and papa meet?" she asked after a moment of silence, clearly she had found it uncomfortable.

He grinned.

"Oh, that's a funny story, but I think your father can tell it better… here he is!"

Stephen had just stepped out from the bedroom, he looked terrible, even more so when he saw Kol.

"Stephen!" Kol greeted him cheerfully. "I hope you don't mind me dropping in like this? I just thought you would like to take care of our unfinished business as soon as possible."

Stephen looked pale as a ghost; his eyes were full of terror and disbelief. Kol kept the polite smile on his face, waiting for Stephen to say something. This was even better than he had thought.

"Papa?" the girl said after a long silence. "Are you alright?"

Somehow Stephen managed to pull himself together enough in order to speak.

"Yes, sweetheart, I'm fine. I need to speak with… this man, please wait outside."

The girl hesitated; obviously she could sense that something was wrong.

"Papa…"

"Wait outside," Stephen snapped. "Please."

She placed her cup on the table and stood up; she wouldn't have wanted to leave.

"Everything is fine, darling," Kol said charmingly. "We are all friends here. Isn't that right, Stephen?"

"Yes," Stephen murmured. "Do as I say, Viola."

Kol tilted his head and deliberately stared at the girl's bottom when she walked to the door, he wanted to torment her father as much as possible.

"Isn't she a pretty little peach?" he said and licked his lips after she had closed the door behind her. "I think she and I will have a lot of fun together."

"No," Stephen murmured through clenched teeth. "You won't touch her."

Kol raised his eyebrows.

"I beg your pardon?"

Stephen stepped towards him, trying to look authoritative and determined, but he failed miserably.

"You heard me, you won't touch my daughter."

Kol smiled.

"Perhaps you have forgotten that she is not yours anymore, she belongs to me now."

"No, she doesn't belong to anyone, what happened last night was…"

"What happened last night was that you lost her to me," Kol interrupted him and stood up. "That was your choice, I didn't force you. Now I want my property."

"She's not property," Stephen snapped. "Get the hell out of my house."

Kol clicked his tongue and shook his head.

"Stephen, Stephen, Stephen… I'm afraid you won't get rid of me that easily."

Stephen pressed his lips together.

"I will get you the money I owe you," he muttered tensely. "But you will never again come near to my daughter."

"How are you planning to stop me?" Kol asked smiling charmingly.

"I have friends," Stephen replied, trying to sound convincing. "You don't want to meet them…"

He didn't have time to finish his sentence when Kol zoomed in front of him, grabbing him by the neck.

"You have to do better than that," Kol stated, revealing his vampire face. Stephen's eyes widened in shock and his mouth opened, but it took a moment before anything came out.

"Dear God…"

Kol chuckled.

"Try again."

He smiled; making sure that Stephen could see his fangs and gazed down. That certainly worked, the look on Stephen's face was perfect. Oh how he loved the foolish things the church taught to people.

"Demon…"

Stephen was shaking; he looked terrified, sick and nauseous. Kol continued smiling, he loved every second.

"No…" Stephen muttered. "Please, not my child… I will do anything."

Kol placed a fake sympathetic look on his face.

"Oh, no need to worry; your daughter will be just fine with me. If she pleases me, she might even live to see another day. Well, not see, but I am sure you get the idea."

"No!" Stephen gasped desperately. "I beg you, she's innocent. Take my soul instead."

Kol laughed and shook his head.

"No, no, no, I'm afraid you misunderstood me. It's not her soul what I want."

Stephen looked even more nauseous, he was desperately trying to find a way out. Kol waited patiently until he was finally ready to speak.

"Alright," he murmured.

Kol raised his eyebrows.

"Alright what?"

Stephen swallowed and looked up.

"You…you can have her, I'm just asking one thing from you."

Kol looked at him curiously.

"Really? What might that be?"

"Please…let me spend this one last day with her, explain to her…everything. I will make sure that she will come with you willingly and does whatever you want."

Kol wanted to laugh; this man was a terrible liar.

"You would make the little peach obedient for me?"

Stephen's expression tensed, but he nodded.

"That's right. Just give me this day. Please."

Kol was genuinely amused; did this human really think that he could fool him? But then again, Kol had always loved games; perhaps a little cat and mouse was just what he needed right now.

"Alright, you can have this day."

Stephen looked stunned, but he managed to hide it quickly.

"Thank you, thank you."

Kol released him and tapped his shoulder.

"No problem. I trust you, Stephen."

"Thank you," Stephen muttered.

"Alright, it's all settled then. I will come and pick up my peach tonight. Oh and there's no need to pack her clothes, she won't be needing any. If you know what I mean."

Kol stressed his words with a wink; he could really be nasty when he wanted to be. Stephen looked like he would have wanted to attack Kol, but he was smarter than that, he stayed quiet.

"Have a nice day," Kol said cheerfully before marching to the door. The girl was outside, folding the laundry; she turned to the door when she heard him coming out.

"Well, I'm leaving now," Kol said and walked in front of her. She startled when he took her hand and kissed it. "Thank you for the tea, darling, I am sure we will meet again soon."

"You're welcome," she replied, she sounded nervous. "It was….nice to meet you."

"Oh, the pleasure was all mine, I can assure you."

He almost whistled when he headed back to his automobile, his driver was waiting for him. Kol had never driven a carriage and he had no interest to learn how to drive these automobiles either; that was what servants were for. He made himself comfortable on the backseat and ordered the driver to take him home, the luxury house in the middle of London where he was currently staying.

That had been truly entertaining. Now the only question was how much head start should he give them? Few hours? That sounded good, he didn't want this to be too easy. He had plenty of time to relax and have a drink. The house was quiet when he got there, but he didn't pay much attention to that, he headed straight to the parlor. Unfortunately he noticed too late that he wasn't alone.

"Hello, brother," Nik's voice said.

Oh crap.


	11. Chapter 11

Elijah was enjoying his book and a glass of brandy, a little peace and quiet was just what he needed after spending the whole evening socializing with people whose company hadn't interested him at all. For some reason the Spencers had wanted to once again dine with him, even if Niklaus hadn't been with him. Mrs. Spencer had talked, talked and talked, wanting to know everything about Niklaus. Elijah honestly couldn't understand why, surely they had already noticed that his brother wasn't a good husband candidate, he hadn't participated in any social occasions for the last two days.

Perhaps Elijah should have followed his example; that would have certainly made his life easier. Too bad everyone couldn't just have fun all the time; someone had to take care of the unpleasant responsibilities. Elijah huffed and wondered where his brother was, he hadn't seen him since this morning. Probably somewhere playing with that poor girl. Sometimes Elijah simply couldn't understand his brother.

He knew that Niklaus certainly didn't thought highly of humans, to him they were nothing more than eatable toys, but honestly, what did he hope to accomplish with this. Bed the girl? Break her? Perhaps this was about some kind of challenge since she couldn't be compelled. In any case Elijah didn't understand or approve the whole thing; surely Niklaus could have spent his time better… Elijah didn't have time to properly formulate his thought when the door opened and his brother walked in.

"Here we are," Niklaus said, he sounded a bit strange.

Elijah looked up and frowned, Niklaus had brought the girl with him. There was something different about her, she looked…empty. She allowed Niklaus to lead her inside, but her whole body was tense, like she wouldn't have wanted him to touch her. What had his brother done to her?

"Niklaus…" Elijah started tensely, but then he noticed a human man who came in after them. This man looked simply terrible.

"Viola…" he pleaded desperately.

"No," the girl said quietly, her voice held no emotion. "Please don't, not now."

"Sweetheart…"

"You heard her," Niklaus snapped. "Sit down and shut up, she needs to get some rest."

Elijah stared at his brother disbelievingly, what was going on here. The man looked miserable; he didn't even seem to notice Elijah when he sat down on the sofa. Apparently no one noticed Elijah; his brother didn't even look at him while leading the girl to the third bedroom.

"The bed is right in front of you…" Niklaus started.

Elijah didn't have time to decide what to do, when the man grabbed his bottle of very expensive brandy which he had placed on the coffee table.

"Excuse me," Elijah said, he didn't hide his annoyance.

"Hey, mate," the man muttered and opened the bottle. "I hope you don't mind, I'm having a shitty day."

Apparently the man didn't care if Elijah minded or not, he was already taking long gulps out of the bottle. Elijah's eyebrows furrowed while he placed his book and glass on the table.

"This is good," the man muttered in the middle of the gulps.

"I'm glad you are enjoying it," Elijah replied coolly and crossed his arms over his chest. "I do not believe we have met."

The man didn't say anything; he seemed to be concentrated on emptying the bottle. It didn't take long when Niklaus came out from the bedroom and closed the door behind him. He went straight to the wardrobe room where Kol was, Elijah heard him opening the trunk.

"What is going on?" Elijah asked when Niklaus came out. "Who is he?"

"Viola's father," Niklaus murmured while marching to the bar cabinet. Elijah raised his eyebrows.

"I see. Why is he here?"

Niklaus poured himself a drink before replying.

"He is not staying here."

"What?" the man asked, he seemed to be finally paying attention to his surroundings. "Yes, I am."

"No, you're not," Niklaus snapped. "You are gone as soon as I can arrange you a new cabin."

The man stood up and glared at Niklaus.

"If you think that I would leave my daughter here with two strange men…"

"No need to worry, we are not planning to sell her to the first stranger who comes along," Niklaus replied icily.

The man flinched.

"I didn't sell her…"

"Oh, I'm sorry, what I meant was that we are not planning to lose her in a card game to the first stranger who comes along."

"I don't have to listen to this," the man snapped. "I'm taking my child away from here…"

The man was heading to the bedroom door when Niklaus zoomed in front of him and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt.

"Do not test my patience," he snarled. "I am this close to toss you overboard…"

"Who do you think you are, you have no right…"

Niklaus' pupils dilated.

"Sit down and keep your damn mouth shut," he hissed through clenched teeth.

Elijah stood up when the man walked over to the sofa and sat down. Niklaus gritted his teeth and ran his fingers through his hair; he looked tense to say the least.

"Would you mind telling me what is going on?" Elijah asked keeping his tone neutral.

"He lost his daughter in a card game," Niklaus replied tensely. "To Kol."

Elijah raised his eyebrows.

"What?"

"Yes and someone attacked her tonight, but since Kol is still in the trunk, it was someone else."

Elijah was confused; he couldn't understand why this obviously upset his brother so much.

"I'm sorry to hear that, but why are her and her father here?"

Niklaus stared at him like he would have just asked something incredible stupid.

"Aren't you supposed to be the moral one?" Niklaus snapped. "You think I should have just left her there?"

Elijah was stunned.

"No, that is not what I meant; I simply try to understand…"

"You know what; I don't have to explain myself to you. Or to anyone."

Niklaus glared at him challengingly, like he would have thought that Elijah was mocking him. The whole thing certainly didn't make any sense, why would his brother want to protect a human girl… No way. His cruel and heartless brother liked this human girl. Niklaus, who had always mocked him and Rebekah for having pathetic human feelings, liked a sweet little human girl. That was just… Elijah didn't even know what that was, but he certainly knew to keep his face free from emotions.

"No, of course you don't," Elijah replied calmly. "I believe I will go to bed now…"

"Wait," Niklaus muttered tensely. "I need you to do something for me first."

Elijah looked at him expectantly, but it took a moment before his brother managed to continue.

"As I said, she was attacked tonight," Niklaus murmured, trying to sound careless. "She might be injured, but she refuses to speak to me or to that pathetic excuse of a father of hers, so…"

"You want me to ask her is she injured," Elijah stated.

"Yes, you are good with people, I'm sure you will manage."

Niklaus' tone was tense and warning, obviously he still expected Elijah to mock him.

"I can try," Elijah replied, retaining his neutral tone.

"Good."

Niklaus poured himself a drink and sat down when Elijah went to the bedroom door and knocked.

"Miss?"

He waited a moment, but he didn't get any reply, so he opened the door.

"Miss?"

The girl was lying on the bed, curled up into a fetal position, obviously she had been crying. She wrapped her arms tighter around her when Elijah entered the room; her heartbeat was becoming more rapid.

"It's alright," Elijah said as calmingly as he could and silently closed the door behind him. "I am not going to hurt you."

She didn't say anything, she was breathing faster when he approached the bed.

"We met yesterday, if you recall. My name is Elijah. I would like to speak with you if you allow that…"

"No," she said so quietly that he could barely hear her. "I am not…a prostitute."

"What? No, I did not think that you are."

She let out an exhausted sigh and wiped a tear off her cheek.

"I am sure your brother thinks so and obviously my father does. I do not care what they have said to you, I will scream if you…"

"No, no, I have no intention to touch you, I can assure you," Elijah said quickly. "I would only like to talk with you."

"Sure, why not," she sighed. "What do you want to talk about?"

Elijah observed the girl's tearful face and felt sympathy; she seemed to be completely broken and exhausted.

"I heard that you have had a rough day," he started compassionately.

"You could say that," she muttered.

"I am not asking you to talk about that, I am sure you don't want to, but I would like to know are you injured. I mean did this person who attacked you…"

"I'm fine," she muttered. "What he did…that was nothing."

"Are you sure? I think…"

"Fine," she snapped. "Fine, if that makes you leave me alone."

She grabbed the hem of her dress and pulled it up; there were bruises on her inner thighs.

"He put a knife on my throat and groped me here, but I'll live. Happy now? Are you?"

Her eyes were watering up and her hands started to shake, it took few seconds before Elijah managed to react. The girl was sobbing when he gently pulled her hem back down and placed a blanket on her.

"I am sorry," he said quietly and sat down next to her. Cautiously he touched her shoulder in a comforting gesture.

"This is so embarrassing," she muttered. "I didn't think that I could possibly feel more humiliated…"

"It's alright; there is no need to be embarrassed. Anyone would be upset after everything you have been through today."

She sighed.

"Thank you."

"No problem. May I clean that wound on your neck, it seems to be still bleeding."

She nodded.

"Alright, I will be right back."

Elijah stood up and walked to the door. Niklaus was still sitting on the armchair, but the girl's father was gone. Elijah didn't have to say anything; obviously his brother had heard every word. Neither of them spoke when Elijah went to bathroom in order to get a clean towel, Niklaus hadn't moved when he came back. The girl had fallen asleep when he went back to the bedroom; he was just about to lean down in order to wipe the blood off her neck, when Niklaus suddenly grabbed his hand and cocked his head towards the door.

Elijah raised his eyebrows, but didn't say anything, he simply moved out of the way. Niklaus sat down on the bed and touched the girl's hair before leaning towards her neck. She sighed in her sleep when he started to lick the blood off her neck. Judging by the little "happy noises" he was making, he was enjoying himself a little too much; Elijah certainly didn't feel comfortable when he walked out. His brandy was gone, so he had to settle for scotch. It took a long while before his brother finally came out, looking very pleased with himself.

"Was that really necessary?" Elijah huffed. "She was already upset…"

"She's asleep," Niklaus interrupted him. "And she will be fine; I will make sure of that."

"What are you talking about?"

Niklaus smiled.

"She's mine, I'm keeping her."

Elijah sighed.

"Niklaus, she is a person, not some object…"

"Yes, I know."

"You cannot simply…"

"Yes, I can. You should know that better than anyone."

Elijah shook his head; perhaps he had been wrong about his brother's feelings towards the girl. Or perhaps not, but unfortunately his brother could be extremely possessive towards those who he cared about. Either way, he doubted that the poor girl had any idea what she had got herself into.


	12. Chapter 12

**Thank you for the reviews, favs and alerts :) No, she wasn't raped, I'm sorry that I wrote that part badly. About her getting her sight back, I haven't planned that to happen, but Klaus will find out about Clarissa.**

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><p>When I woke up, I felt numb and I couldn't remember where I was. The bed wasn't mine; I felt the soft silky sheets and smelled the fresh scent. Quickly I got into a sitting position, but it didn't take long when I started to remember. Papa had lost me in a card game like I would be nothing more than some kind of object. The man who had come to our home had made me very nervous and now I understood why, he had come to inspect the merchandise.<p>

The whole thought was so humiliating that I would have wanted to curl up under the blanket and stay there. What would have happened if we wouldn't have left, I would have become some strange man's property? I didn't even want to imagine what he would have done to me. Would papa simply have allowed that to happen? How could he have done that to me? I knew that he wasn't himself when he used opium, but I would have never believed something like this.

What was I supposed to do now? I could be as angry as I wanted, but I was still dependent on him, I had no chance to take care of myself alone. I couldn't expect Tommy and Billy to help me when we would reach New York, papa was my only chance. Suddenly my hazy mind remembered the rest, Klaus. The man who had attacked me had told me to stay away from him, he had lied to me about everything, then he had showed up and… I was in his suite.

Had I spoken with his brother last night? Yes and what was even worse, I had cried like a little girl. Why had Klaus brought me here? On second thought, maybe it was best not to know. Papa had told him everything, so he probably thought that he could simply buy me. Well, I hadn't acted like a chaste woman and I had been too stupid to understand what kind of impression my behavior must have given him. I was ashamed when I thought about it now, he must have thought the whole time that I was a prostitute; why else would he have offered to "look after" me if I would let him have me. I had practically thrown myself at him from the beginning. I startled when I suddenly heard the door opening.

"Good morning, love," Klaus' voice said. "Would you like some breakfast?"

I tried to gather the shreds of my dignity before replying.

"No, thank you. I would like to go to my cabin, please."

He was quiet for a brief moment before responding.

"No, I'm afraid that's not possible."

I felt the side of the bed with my hand before standing up; my legs were shaking a little.

"You can't keep me here against my will, no matter how much money you have; that is kidnapping."

"No, that is protecting you," he replied firmly. "I need to find the man who attacked you."

"Why?" I asked tensely. "Why would you care about that?"

I heard him taking a step towards me.

"This man told you to stay away from me, did he not?"

"Yes and I'm planning to follow his 'request'. I want to leave."

He was in front of me now; I flinched when he touched my shoulder.

"Viola… You have no reason to be afraid of me."

"Let me leave then," I muttered. "I want to go to my papa."

"Why?" he huffed. "So he can gamble you away again?"

I felt a sudden need to defend papa, despite of everything, he was still my father.

"That is not your concern," I snapped. "I don't even know who you are…"

"Yes, you do, I'm still the same man who you have spend the last two days with."

I shook my head.

"No, that man was a lie."

"No. Please try to understand…"

"It doesn't matter," I sighed. "I'm going to my cabin now."

"Your father and cousins aren't there," he stated calmly. "I arranged them a new cabin."

"What?"

"Unfortunately not a First Class cabin, but it is a Second Class; that should be comfortable."

I had no idea what to think.

"What… Why did you do that?"

"For their safety," he replied. "The man who attacked you might come back and I assumed you would want your family to be safe."

"I…yes, of course, but…"

I wasn't sure how to finish my sentence, I felt very uncomfortable.

"What?" he asked.

"I am not…" I paused and wrapped my arms around me, trying my best to look calm. "Whatever you are expecting in return…"

"No, no, I don't expect anything in return."

Somehow I found that difficult to believe, I wasn't that stupid.

"You want to help my family out of the goodness of your heart?"

"Is that so impossible to believe?" he asked.

I shook my head.

"I don't know, I have no idea what to believe anymore."

Suddenly I felt exhausted; I truly started to realize what kind of mess my life was. I didn't have anyone or anything to count on, nothing safe and familiar. I still loved papa, he was my father, but how could I trust him anymore? How could I trust anyone? I was too numb to even startle when Klaus placed his palms on my shoulders.

"I know you have no reason to believe anything I say, but I'm asking you to give me another chance," he said.

"Another chance for what?"

Softly his fingers touched my hair, but I didn't move.

"I care about you, Viola, please let me help you."

"And you don't want anything in return?" I asked disbelievingly.

"Only the chance to earn your trust back," he replied. "I won't force you into anything, I give you my word."

I wasn't sure what to say, a part of me wanted to believe him, but that would have been foolish.

"Why?" I asked quietly. "Why would someone like you want to be with someone like me? Surely you would have no problem to find…"

He placed a finger on my lips, I felt him leaning closer.

"You want an honest answer? I don't know. I don't know why I feel like this, I don't usually care about…anyone. All I know is that I want you to be mine and I'm willing to do anything to make you feel the same."

I was stunned, I could hear the sincerity in his voice, but I certainly hadn't expected that.

"What…what if I don't want that," I muttered.

"You wouldn't take a handsome fellow like me?" he asked innocently. "Really?"

"This is crazy… We just met…"

I was even more stunned when he pressed his lips against mine, drawing my body firmly against his. His lips tasted just as good as last night and his unique scent made me want to press my face against him in order to really inhale him. My mind told me how wrong this was and my hands went on his chest, ready to push him away, but I didn't do that. At first his kiss was demanding, I felt him nipping and sucking my lips, but then he slowed down, gently touching the outline of my lips with the tip of his tongue. I would have opened my mouth for him, but he pulled away first. His arms were still around me, I was too confused to move.

"Don't tell me that you didn't feel anything," he said, his tone was challenging.

I was desperately trying to gather my thoughts; I couldn't understand what had just happened. Kissing him had felt right; my body seemed to be very attracted to him. His scent to be exact. That certainly didn't make any sense. I did like him as a person as well and I had enjoyed his company, but that had been before I had heard about his lies. There was definitely something strange between us, but I didn't know what that something was.

"I…"

"It's alright," he said after a moment of silence. "You do not have to say anything. I have a proposition for you."

"A proposition?" I repeated, I was still too confused to really think clearly.

"Yes. Stay here until we arrive to New York, you can have this room all for yourself and no one, including me, will come here if you don't want that. I will find the man who attacked you and I will prove to you that I'm serious with you. How does that sound?"

I had no idea what to say to that, but he seemed to be serious.

"I…I have to talk to papa…"

"He wants you to be safe," Klaus interrupted me. "But of course you can talk to him if you want."

I hesitated; I could have never imagined something like this happening.

"You said you won't force me into anything…" I started cautiously.

"That's right, you are here as a guest. All I want is a chance to court you."

I couldn't help but smile.

"Court me?"

"Yes, I still have four days to win your heart."

I bit my bottom lip, could I really believe him.

"What…what will happen after we arrive to New York?"

He touched my hair before replying.

"If I have my way, and I usually do, you will come with me to New Orleans."

"What?" I gasped. "You cannot be serious…"

"Why not? You do not know anyone in New York, do you?"

"No, but… I cannot… Papa…"

"Your family is also welcome," he said, although he didn't sound very thrilled. "If that is what you want."

"Yes, I couldn't leave papa."

"Why is that?" Klaus asked. "I mean, after what he did to you…"

"He is still my father," I said firmly.

"Hmm," he muttered. "That doesn't mean that you should simply forgive everything."

"He is my family…"

"What difference does that make, who needs or wants a father who hates you."

I was just about to argue that my father didn't hate me, but then I realized that he wasn't talking about my father anymore.

"Relationships between fathers and their children can sometimes be complicated," I said as calmly as I could. "But in the end you only have a one father."

"Really?" he snorted. "What if your father would torment you because you dare to exist and treat you like you would be nothing but trash?"

"Then he would be a terrible father," I replied without hesitation. "No one deserves to be treated like that."

Klaus was suddenly very quiet, I could sense that he regretted for saying that, it was too personal to him. He tried to back away from me, but I got a hold of his sleeve and used it to locate his hand. For a moment we simply stood there silently, he felt like the same person who I had met on the deck. He was a complicated person, I could tell, but I didn't think that was a bad thing. There was some kind of connection between us and despite of everything, I didn't want to simply give that up. Maybe, just maybe I should give this a chance.


	13. Chapter 13

**Warning, there's some mild mature content in this chapter.**

* * *

><p>"What do you think?" Klaus asked.<p>

Elijah shook his head. "I don't know, I can't think of a reason why someone would want her to stay away from you."

Klaus ran his fingers through his hair, he couldn't think of any reason either. Unless some old acquaintance of his was on board, someone who he have had a quarrel with. He certainly had plenty of enemies, but he couldn't imagine that any of them would be this stupid. What could they possibly hope to accomplish by threatening Viola, everyone knew that Klaus didn't care about humans. Even if someone would have seen him with her, they would have surely thought that he had just found himself a new toy.

Judging by what Viola had told him about her attacker, he was a human. But then again, Viola didn't know that there were other options, she didn't know about vampires. Sure her father had said that Kol wasn't a human, but Viola hadn't taken him seriously. Klaus wasn't planning to tell her the whole truth yet, not before she would trust him and feel safe with him. He had a lot of work to do before that would happen.

As strange as it was, she was physically very much attracted to him, he was sure of it, even if she couldn't see him. Perhaps she was drawn to him the same way than he was drawn to her; it was some kind of primal instinct. After kissing her the second time and tasting her blood, he was even more convinced that she belonged to him. He had never felt anything like it, the magnitude of his protectiveness and possessiveness of her confused him. Mine. That was all he could think about when he looked at her.

"Have you seen anyone you would recognize on board?" Klaus asked.

"No, I don't think so," Elijah replied, he seemed to understand where Klaus was going with this. "But maybe we should take a look at the passenger list."

Klaus nodded approvingly. "Good thinking. I'm sure you will have no problem to get your hands on it."

Elijah raised his eyebrows.

"Me?"

"Yes, you. I can't leave Viola here by herself."

Elijah bit his bottom lip, it seemed as he would want to say something, but didn't.

"What?" Klaus snapped.

"Nothing," Elijah replied innocently. "I'll go and get the passenger list."

Klaus huffed to himself after Elijah had left, for some reason his brother's behavior really annoyed him. If Elijah had something to say, why didn't he just say it? But truth be told, Klaus knew exactly what Elijah wasn't saying out loud. His brother probably loved this, seeing Klaus caring about someone. A weakness. No, he didn't have weaknesses. What was she then? The truth was that he didn't know and it was driving him crazy. She was his; it was as simple as that. He would look after her and eventually claim her as his. What was it about her…

He sighed and poured himself a drink when a sudden scream made him to drop his glass. It was coming from the bathroom, Viola was taking a bath. She had wanted to freshen up before lunch, although Klaus had ordered it to the suite. He was in front of the bathroom door in a fraction of a second and yanked it open. Viola was lying on the floor on her stomach, she was naked. She was naked. What had happened? She was naked. Had she hurt herself? She was nak… Get a grip!

"Are you alright, love?" he asked and kneeled next to her.

"I slipped…" she muttered.

"Did you hurt yourself?"

"I…No, I… Could you…"

Her face was red, she looked more than embarrassed. He picked up the towel she had apparently dropped on the floor and handed it to her.

"Thank you. Would you mind waiting outside?" she asked.

"Sure," he murmured and reluctantly walked out. Fortunately he stayed in front of the door, her cry of pain made him to zoom back in. She had tried to get up and fell down again.

"Where does it hurt?" he asked.

"My ankle," she replied.

"Alright, I'm going to lift you up."

"No, no, you don't have to…"

"Viola," he said firmly. "Do you rather want to stay on the floor?"

She hesitated and tried to wrap the towel around her.

"It's alright," he assured and scooped her up. Clearly she was uncomfortable, but he certainly weren't. He carried her to her bedroom and placed her on the bed.

"Which ankle?" he asked.

"The left," she muttered.

He sat down next to her and examined her left ankle, it was swollen. She flinched when he lifted her foot onto his lap and touched her ankle with his thumbs.

"It's not broken," he said. "Is it sore?"

She nodded. "Yes. I can't believe I was so clumsy…"

She didn't finish her sentence when he touched her ankle softly with his lips. He had no idea what the hell he was doing, her heart was beating like a drum. Her skin was warm and still wet; she was lying on her back practically naked. The animalistic side of him, the wolf side, demanded him to act, to claim her. Mine. She was breathing fast when he caressed her calf and kissed her knee.

"We shouldn't…" she muttered.

"Are you asking me to stop?" he hummed while crawling up her, tracing kisses all the way to her thigh.

"I…"

He was facing her now; he touched her bottom lip with his index finger. She blinked her beautiful eyes nervously and parted her lips, it was like an invitation.

"Tell me to stop, love."

She was obviously very nervous, but she didn't tell him to stop. Her body was reacting to his touch the same way than his was reacting to hers, there was like some kind of electricity between them. He would definitely find out what the hell this was, but not now. He leaned over and captured her mouth with his. Her lips were perfect, soft and full and she tasted like tea and honey. Mine. He tried to keep the kiss gentle, but his wolf side didn't agree, it wanted to truly taste her.

She opened her mouth as soon as his tongue touched her lips, like she would know what he was thinking. Her body was slowly melting against him as his tongue explored every part of her mouth. When he felt her breasts pressing against his ribs, he wanted nothing more than get rid of his clothes and the damn towel that was covering her body. Mine. She was kissing him back, a little clumsily at first, but she seemed to be a quick learner. He groaned when her tongue stroked his and she buried her fingers into his hair.

"Viola," he groaned and kissed the sensitive skin of her throat. She moaned when he sucked her pulse point. "Last chance, love, tell me to stop."

She didn't, instead she pressed her face against his chest and sniffed him. His eyes widened, but he didn't try to stop her, she kept inhaling his scent and sighed blissfully.

"You smell so good…"

He grinned; no woman had ever complimented his odor. He had no problem with that.

"Thank you, love."

He took her mouth with his again and was just about to get rid of the towel when Elijah's arrival ruined everything. Unfortunately Klaus hadn't closed the door to the bedroom.

"Good news, I have the passenger list…" Elijah started while marching in.

Viola's whole body tensed, like she would have just waked up from some kind of trance. She wrapped her arms around her and moved quickly away from Klaus. In that moment Klaus truly wanted to kill his brother.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Elijah said after realizing the situation. "I'll just…"

"Close the door," Klaus murmured tensely. "Viola…" he continued after Elijah had closed the door behind him.

"I would like to get dressed," she said quietly. "Please excuse me."

Klaus sighed and took her hand.

"It's alright; we weren't doing anything wrong…"

She shook her head.

"I don't… I can't understand… I don't want you to think…"

"I don't," he assured. "I respect you."

"Why?" she muttered. "After I acted like…"

"Hey," he said and moved closer to her. "We weren't doing anything wrong."

She was quiet for a long while, apparently trying to understand what had just happened. He wasn't sure if he understood it any better, but he knew that he wanted more. He needed more. The wolf needed more. He leaned towards her and kissed her cheek like a gentleman, although his thoughts were anything but gentlemanly.

"I'll get some ice for your ankle."


	14. Chapter 14

"You look lovely, miss," the maid called Doris said after I had asked her did I look alright, I had just got dressed and brushed my hair. Her tone was polite, but I could easily pick up a hint of contempt in her voice. It hadn't been difficult to read between the lines what she thought of me, I was some Third Class whore who was here to entertain Klaus and probably his brother as well. I couldn't really blame her for reaching that conclusion, it was lunchtime and I had still been in bed wearing nothing except a towel.

Maybe that should have bothered me, but I really didn't think that I had much honor or reputation left to defend. I would have let Klaus to do whatever he would have wanted if his brother wouldn't have interrupted us, I would have given myself to him without hesitation. What was wrong with me? Mama had explained to me briefly what sex was and she had warned me not give myself to any man before marriage. I had asked her what man would want to marry me, but she had assured that I would find a nice man who wouldn't care about my blindness. Klaus didn't seem to care about that.

A flush was rising in my cheeks when I remembered how his body had felt against mine and how his scent had made my senses run wild. I didn't care how wrong it was, I wanted to kiss him and touch him again. The feeling had become stronger after I had drunk the cup of tea he had brought to me along with the ice for my ankle. For some reason my ankle didn't hurt at all anymore, I felt just great.

"Is there anything else you need, miss?" Doris asked. I had told her that she could call me Viola, but apparently she didn't want to do that. Klaus had sent her here to help me unpacking my clothes. I didn't have many clothes, just a nightgown, three dresses, two petticoats, a sweater, a coat, few pair of knickers, a pair of shoes and four pairs of socks. I hadn't had time to pack by myself; papa had been in too much of a hurry. Of course I could now understand why. I hadn't spoken with him after yesterday and I wasn't sure if I was ready to do that yet.

"No, thank you," I replied absentmindedly and sat on the bed after Doris had left. I was very confused, everything had happened so fast and I couldn't understand what I was feeling. I didn't have time to ponder about that for long when I heard a knock.

"Yes?"

"The lunch is served," Klaus' voice said.

"Thank you," I replied and stood up. "Is… Is your brother…"

I was too embarrassed to finish my question; I didn't want to imagine what Klaus' brother thought of me.

"Elijah won't be joining us; he had…things to do."

"Oh…"

For some reason that made me feel even more embarrassed.

"I would have liked to apologize…" I muttered and heard Klaus' footsteps approaching me. The bed squeaked under his weight when he sat down next to me and touched my shoulder.

"I thought we have been over this already, you have no reason to be embarrassed," he said firmly.

"I…I don't want your brother to think…"

"He doesn't," Klaus cut in.

"Are you sure?" I muttered, although I felt ridiculous. Klaus placed his palms on my shoulders.

"Yes, love, I'm sure. He would never treat you anything less than a lady."

I couldn't help but smile.

"I'm not a lady you know."

"Sure you are," he replied and touched my cheek softly with his lips. Just a brief little kiss raised goose bumps on my skin; I couldn't understand why I was reacting like this. "You are my lady."

My cheeks were very warm and I could feel him gazing at me. For some reason I felt more exposed now than when he had seen me naked. I couldn't understand what I was feeling, but I wanted to be close to him. The rational part of me was concerned that I was just some kind of conquest to him and he was only interested in bedding me, but I wanted to believe that wasn't true. I wanted to believe that he was feeling something too. But even if he was, what kind of future we could ever have, why would someone like him… I almost jumped when he suddenly wrapped his arm around my waist and his mouth nibbled my earlobe.

"What are you thinking, love?" he hummed, his lips touched my rapidly beating pulse point.

"Us," I muttered. "Is there us?"

I was relieved when he raised his head; I couldn't think clearly when he was touching me.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

I tried to clear my thoughts so I could give him an answer.

"Do you want more than just my body?"

Alright, apparently I hadn't cleared my thoughts very well and once again I hadn't thought before opening my mouth. At least I had said what was bothering me and hopefully he would give me an honest answer.

"Yes," he said without hesitation. "I most definitely want more than just your body."

I hesitated, he sounded sincere, but…

"Do you mean marriage?"

Oh no, had I really just said that? How stupid was I? There was no chance he would ever want to marry me. Did I want to marry him? I didn't know and it was definitely very hypocrite of me to pretend that I was an honorable woman after how I had acted less than an hour ago. Still I wanted to think that I had at least some kind of honor, I didn't want to be a disreputable woman. I didn't want to be anyone's mistress or a kept woman. Many women in my position would have probably thought differently and maybe I was stupid, but I was concerned about my future. He was quiet for a long time, too long.

"I'm sorry," I said quickly. "I didn't mean… I just…"

"You think I would abandon you after… making love to you?" he stated. His words made me blush, but I needed to know what he thought about this and what he was expecting from me.

"Something like that. I'm sure you can understand what would happen to me if I would…if we would…and then you would just…leave."

I startled when he took my hands between his.

"That won't happen, I give you my word," he assured determinedly. "I'm not going to abandon you."

I bit my bottom lip.

"You said you want me to come to New Orleans with you, but as what? Your mistress?"

"No, as…" He paused. "As whatever you want. If you want me to wed you, then I will."

I gasped; he had definitely surprised me completely.

"What?"

He caressed my wrist with his thumb.

"I want you to feel safe. If a marriage makes you feel safe, then we shall get married."

"We can't do that," I gasped. "How…no, we can't."

"You don't want that?"

I had no idea what to say.

"I… We barely know each other…"

"Listen to me," he interrupted me and touched my cheek. "This is right. You and me. It doesn't matter how long we have known each other, I want you and I know that you want me."

I was more than confused; I hadn't expected anything like this.

"I don't know you…"

He muffled the rest of my sentence with a kiss.

"You know me," he hummed.

I shook my head.

"No…"

Apparently he liked to play it dirty, he kissed me again, this time even more passionately. His scent blurred all my thoughts; my body was yarning for his touch.

"Not fair…" I muttered, like a pouting child when he pulled away. He chuckled, making me to blush again.

"I'm afraid life is unfair sometimes, love."

"Yes, I know," I murmured, trying to gather my thoughts. We were both quiet for a while, he was holding my hand.

"You would really marry me?" I finally managed to ask.

"Yes, if that is what you want. I understand your concerns and I want you to know that I'm not toying with you. Believe me when I say, I have never offered to marry any woman."

"Offered to marry?" I repeated. "How flattering."

"No, no, that came out wrong," he said quickly. "I just… To be honest, I have never even thought about marriage."

"Not ever?"

"No. But you…I'm not letting you go."

He sounded very serious; I believed that he meant what he said. My hand was still on his, he was squishing it tighter.

"What do you say, love?"

"No," I said firmly.

"What?" It wasn't difficult to tell that he was stunned. "No?"

"No. I want to get to know you before…anything else."

"Alright, sure. We can talk; Elijah won't be here before dinner."

I nodded.

"That sounds good."

He leaned towards me and kissed my cheek.

"Good. Oh, I almost forgot, how's your ankle?"

"Much better, it doesn't hurt anymore," I replied. "Maybe the tea you brought me helped, it tasted a little strange. Was there some medicine in it?"

"No, just tea and honey."

"Oh. Well, it was good either way, very sweet."

"Sweet?" he repeated.

"Yes, I thought that there was some sugar in it."

He was quiet for a brief moment before speaking.

"The lunch is getting cold. Shall we go?"


	15. Chapter 15

"What… Are you serious?" Stephen gasped.

Klaus looked at him callously and crossed his arms over his chest. He was aware that it was customary to ask a daughter's hand for marriage, but he had no intention to do that. First of all, this man made him sick and second of all, he couldn't have cared less what Stephen thought. Viola had agreed, that was all that mattered.

"Yes. Your daughter and I shall be wed tomorrow night, the captain already agreed to marry us."

Stephen's mouth floundered open and closed, he looked like he was about to faint. He and Viola's cousins were sitting on the sofa in the suite; Elijah had just offered them drinks. Klaus was sitting on the armchair, carelessly observing his soon to be father-in-law. He had absolutely no respect towards this pathetic human and if he wouldn't be important to Viola, Klaus certainly wouldn't bother to talk to him at all. Viola's cousin Billy didn't seem to care about the whole thing, but Tommy was smiling; he was still under Klaus' compulsion.

"Congratulations mate," Tommy said.

Stephen glared at him, like he would have suspected that his nephew had lost his mind.

"My daughter won't marry a stranger!" Stephen snapped. "How would I know that you treat her well?"

Klaus sighed, he was bored and annoyed.

"You can see it yourself. For some reason Viola wants you to come with us to New Orleans."

Stephen's eyes widened.

"To New Orleans?"

"Yes, I live there. I will buy you some nice little place close to us."

But not too close.

"After all, we will be family soon."

Stephen seemed to be unable to speak, so Klaus turned his gaze to Viola's cousins. She hadn't said anything about them, but they probably came with the package.

"Same for you two. You are Viola's family, so you are my family as well."

"Actually…" Tommy started.

"We couldn't be happier for our dear cousin," Billy cut in. "Of course we want to stay close to her."

Tommy frowned and looked at his brother; they seemed to be silently arguing about something.

"I…I want to see my daughter," Stephen demanded tensely.

"She is getting ready for dinner, she will be here soon," Klaus replied. The passenger list had been completely useless, so Klaus had decided to use more direct approach. He and Viola would have dinner in the dining room and try to draw her attacker out. Klaus was positive that he could keep Viola safe, he wouldn't do this otherwise. Elijah had agreed to have dinner in The Second Class dining room with her family in case the coward would try to attack them.

If someone would have told Klaus a week ago that he would go through so much trouble for a human, not to mention planning to marry one, he would have definitely laughed. Maybe he was losing his mind, he really wasn't sure. All he knew was that this woman was his and he wanted her more than he had ever wanted anything, including breaking the curse. That was crazy, but it was true. As he had said to her, he had never during his long life even considered marriage; he couldn't see the point of that institution.

But he wanted her to feel safe and comfortable to give herself to him completely and if a piece of paper would do that, then he would give her that piece of paper. The fact that he had no idea how to be a husband or that he didn't really know what marriage meant to her hadn't even crossed his mind. He wanted her, he would have her, period.

They had talked for hours after lunch; he had said that she could ask him whatever she wanted. She had asked about his family, his life, his interests and so on and he had tried his best to be as honest as he could. Despite of the mutual attraction between them, it had taken him all his persuasion skills to make her agree to marry him this soon. He thought the whole thing practically; she would be free from the guilt, the shame and all the other useless feelings after getting that piece of paper. Then she could stop holding back and do what her body already wanted to do.

He turned to the bedroom door when it opened and the maid stepped out, followed by Viola. She was wearing a gorgeous burgundy evening gown with short sleeves, silk gloves and the ruby necklace he had given her earlier as an engagement gift. Klaus had actually bought it for Bekah, but he could buy her something from New York. Viola looked absolutely stunning, her long hair was up in a stylish coiffure and she had a little make-up on, including red lipstick. The maid had done a good job.

"Woah…" Tommy muttered and stood up; all the other men followed his example. "You look amazing, sweetness."

Viola was blushing, she looked uncomfortable.

"Thank you. I..I'm not sure…"

"You are beautiful," Klaus cut in and moved next to her. She smiled when he took her hand. Stephen was staring at his daughter disbelievingly.

"Viola… You… You are going to…marry him?"

"Yes, papa," she replied quietly.

Stephen pressed his lips together and glanced at Klaus.

"You barely know him…"

"I know him better then I know the man who you wished to give me to," she interrupted him, making Stephen to bow his head.

"Viola… You know I didn't mean to…"

"Yes, but I am not ready to forget it yet."

Stephen bit his bottom lip; obviously he didn't want to have this conversation in front of everyone.

"Please, I need to talk to you. Alone."

Viola nodded.

"We can do that tomorrow, I promised to have dinner with Klaus tonight."

Stephen didn't seem pleased at all, but he didn't start to argue. Good for him, Klaus wouldn't have wanted to ruin Viola's evening by hurting her father.

"Tomorrow morning?"

"Sure."

Klaus waited patiently when Viola's cousins congratulated her before they left. Stephen and Elijah seemed to be equally thrilled to follow them. Viola sighed when they were finally alone.

"Hey," Klaus said and touched her cheek. "Everything alright?"

"I suppose so, I just…"

"What?"

She hesitated before continuing.

"Are you sure about this? I mean… This is all I have to offer you, this…mess, also known as my life."

He couldn't help but smile.

"Yes, love, I am sure. This time tomorrow you will be my wife."

* * *

><p>Clarissa touched her hair in order to make sure that her coiffure was flawless. It was, as always. She looked flawless and she knew it. Many men in the dining room kept looking at her, but she wasn't interested in any of them. Niklaus Mikaelson was finally going to participate in dinner. His vulgar behavior yesterday morning had made her furious, but it had also made her more determined than ever. No man turned her down, that simply wasn't an option. She was Clarissa Spencer; she always got what she wanted, always. It was a good thing that she had sent Lewis to follow him, apparently some filthy Third Class whore had tried to sink her claws in him. According to Lewis, he had taken care of the little slut. Clarissa hadn't asked any details, she was a delicate lady after all, but she hoped that this whore had suffered.<p>

"How do I look, mother?" she asked, although she already knew the answer to that.

"Beautiful, my darling, as always. Does she not, Charles?"

"Yes, dear," her father murmured.

Clarissa kept glancing at the entrance, where was he? She looked up when the steward opened the doors, he was here. He looked gorgeous in his tuxedo… She couldn't finish her thought when she saw that he wasn't alone. Her eyes widened in shock. No…No, no, no. This couldn't be possible; this had to be a nightmare. He was entering the dining room arm in arm with… Even after all these years she could easily recognize the ugly servant brat. Ugly, blind servant brat. Hell no…

"Dear Lord," her mother gasped. "Is that…"

Clarissa clenched her fists; she was so furious that she couldn't move. All she could do was watch Niklaus Mikaelson to escort the ugly little whore to a table and pull out a chair for her. This couldn't be happening… The filthy little slut was dressed up like a lady, how dared she. He was smiling at her, touching her hand.

"Did you hear?" some woman at the other table whispered to her friend. "That girl was traveling on the Third Class. He took her to his suite last night and asked the captain to marry them tomorrow night."

"Honestly? What a scandal!"

"All say. She must be very good at her…occupation."

"Disgusting…"

Clarissa couldn't hear the rest of their conversation; she was too apoplectic to hear anything. Her face was completely blank when she stood up and walked out without saying a word to her parents. She had never felt such rage in her life. That filthy, disgusting little whore! She would make her suffer, oh yes she would. Apparently she needed to once again been put back in her place.

* * *

><p>Lewis knocked the door to the Mikaelson suite few times before opening the door with a stolen key. He knew that Niklaus Mikaelson was still in the First Class dining room and Elijah Mikaelson was, for some unknown reason, dining in the Second Class dining room. The suite was empty, just like it was supposed to be. It didn't take Lewis long to find the girl's clothes. He picked up a bottle from his pocket and clicked his tongue. Silly girl, she had brought this on herself. He had given her a fair warning, but she hadn't listened.<p>

He started with her nightgown and poured the liquid, the poison, inside it. This poison was particularly nasty; it would destroy the girl's skin as soon as the fabric would touch it. She would most likely survive, but he was pretty sure she would hope that she wouldn't. The pain would be quite bad and she would look hideous, just like Clarissa had wanted. Well, she could always join the freak circus, but she suddenly wouldn't become Niklaus Mikaelson's wife. The girl didn't seem to have many clothes, but Lewis added the poison in her petticoats as well, just to be safe. After finishing his task, he was just about to walk out when he heard something.

"_Here…"_

Quickly he looked around, but didn't see anyone.

"_Here… Come here…"_

What…

"_Come here…"_

He couldn't understand what he was doing when he opened the door to the wardrobe room.

"_Here…"_

He saw a large trunk on the floor, for some reason he felt a strong need to open it.

"_Here…"_

His hands opened the trunk; there was a corpse in it. Lewis' eyes widened, what a…

"_Pull it out…"_

There was some kind of knife in the corpse's chest, Lewis grabbed it and pulled it out. What the hell was he doing? He stared at the corpse until its eyes flew open and it grabbed him by the neck.

"Thank you, mate."


	16. Chapter 16

I felt completely out of place when Klaus tried to explain to me what all the different forks, knives and spoons were for. I couldn't understand why anyone would need so many cutleries for one dinner. Judging by the voices all around me, the dining room was full of people. The orchestra was playing, but I couldn't really enjoy the music, I felt more than self-conscious. I didn't like the gloves at all; I needed to be able to feel things with my fingertips.

"Do you think I could take the gloves off?" I asked quietly. "I…I need to feel…"

"Yes, of course," he replied.

I hesitated before removing the gloves, I was sure that everyone was looking at me. Somehow I managed to ignore the unpleasant feeling and concentrated on touching the rows of forks, knives and spoons.

"This one is for…?"

"For the main course. The next ones are for the appetizer and the salad, then there's a soup spoon, an oyster fork, a dessert spoon and a fork…"

I was definitely out of my comfort zone, but I was determined to try, I didn't want to embarrass Klaus. Unfortunately that didn't work out so well, thanks to my nervousness. The waiter served us our appetizers and poured me a glass of wine, but when I picked up my glass, I managed to drop it on the floor. The sound of the shattering glass silenced the whole dining room; everyone was certainly looking at me now. My first thought was to clean up the mess I had made, but when I almost jumped to my feet, I wiped something off the table. Judging by the sound of the breaking porcelain, it had been a plate. I had never felt so embarrassed, especially when the whispers started. All I heard was few words from here and there, but none of those words were nice.

"This is a disgrace… a prostitute… Third Class…vulgar…"

Suddenly I heard a sound of another glass shattering.

"How clumsy of me," Klaus said, quite loudly. "Oh well, accidents happen."

The room was quiet again, but that didn't last for long. I heard Klaus standing up; he walked behind me and helped me back on my seat.

"The mess…" I muttered.

"Never mind that, love," he whispered and continued much louder. "I believe my fiancée and I need some more wine!"

"Yes, sir, right away," the waiter said.

I had no idea what to say and I had completely forgotten which fork was for the appetizer. Not that it mattered now; I couldn't humiliate myself much worse than I already had, so I simply picked up the first fork within my reach and emptied the new wine glass the waiter had just given to me. The food was divine, just like at lunch, but I would have rather eaten in the suite. I didn't belong here; this was Klaus' world, not mine. He had assured me that it didn't matter; things would work out after we would be married.

I still wasn't sure how he had managed to talk me into marrying him tomorrow, everything was happening too fast. I hadn't been in his home, I hadn't met the rest of his family, I didn't even know what it really meant to be a wife of a man like him. I would have probably known how to be a valet's wife, I could cook and clean, but he wasn't a valet. He had told me that his family had plenty of money, old money; they lived in a mansion and were important in the society of New Orleans. I didn't know anything about things like that; I hadn't even managed to have one dinner with him without embarrassing us both. This was a mistake, what had I been thinking… I startled when a hand suddenly touched my shoulder.

"May I have this dance?" Klaus asked, I hadn't heard him standing up.

"I am not sure if that would be…" I started, but he took my hand and helped me to my feet.

"You liked dancing, yes?"

"Yes, but…"

"Then we shall dance," he cut in determinedly. I wanted to protest, but I allowed him to lead me away from our table and place his hand on my back, right above my waist. His other hand was still holding mine; the music was very different than at the Third Class party, not nearly as vivacious.

"I don't know the steps," I whispered.

"It's alright," he replied calmingly. "Just relax and let me lead. Imagine that we are alone, there's no one else here."

"I don't know if I can…"

I felt him leaning closer, his lips touched my earlobe. "These people don't mean anything," he whispered. "All I see is you, everyone else are invisible to me. You are beautiful and I can guarantee that all the men here would want nothing more than be in my place right now."

I let out a nervous laugh, but I actually started to relax.

"You are sweet. A liar, but still sweet."

He tightened his embrace and effortlessly helped me to follow the slow rhythm; he was a very good dancer.

"I'm not lying, love, trust me. You look ravishing."

"Thank you," I muttered, his words made me blush. Slowly all the sounds around me were fading away, all I felt was his body and all I smelled was his scent. It was the sweetest scent I had ever smelled, it made me think about pine trees, fresh night air, the wind on my face, dancing in the snow, howling for the moon… None of that made any sense, but I wanted and needed to be close to him. I couldn't remember the doubts I've had and it didn't matter, not as long as he was here. I had no idea how long we had danced when he finally led me back to our table. The rest of the dinner was much easier, I could concentrate on eating, a food like this needed to be appreciated. Despite of the whispers around us, I felt relaxed and more than satisfied after finishing my dessert, a piece of delicious chocolate cake. I was savoring every bite, I felt euphoric. Maybe I had drunk too much wine.

"Thank you," I sighed.

"My pleasure, sweetheart," Klaus replied, he sounded amused. "I must say that I truly enjoy watching you eat."

I giggled, as foolish as that was, and I kissed his cheek when he helped me up. The other people had ceased to exist; I squished Klaus' hand when he escorted me out. Neither of us said anything when he led me back to the suite, I almost tripped while stepping over the threshold.

"Are you alright, love?" Klaus asked.

"Yes, I…I think I drank too much wine."

He helped me on the sofa and sat down next to me, wrapping his arm around me. I sighed in contentment and leaned my head on his shoulder. Judging by the complete silence, we were alone, Elijah hadn't returned yet.

"Thank you," I muttered after a moment of silence.

"For what, love?" he asked, his hand was stroking my hair.

"For everything, you are truly an amazing man. I think… I think that I could really like you."

He chuckled and kissed my forehead.

"Thank you, sweetheart. Perhaps you should get some sleep, tomorrow is going to be an important day."

I nodded.

"Yes, sleeping sounds like a good idea. I think I'll go and wash up."

I went to the bathroom and cleaned my face as carefully as I could, I hadn't get used to make-up and I wasn't sure when my face really was clean. The coiffure gave me problems as well, but finally I managed to straighten my hair. I really was tired; I was more than ready to go to bed. After saying good night to Klaus, I went to my bedroom and started to undress. Carefully I took off the necklace Klaus had given to me; he had said that it was a ruby necklace. I had told him that I didn't feel comfortable to accept so expensive gift, but he hadn't given up. I did like to touch it, the ruby felt nice.

My nightgown was right where I had left it; I yawned and stretched my arms before wearing it. I didn't have time to lie down when I started to feel very strange, my whole body felt hot. Something was wrong, my skin was stinging. The feeling was getting worse and worse, but I didn't have time to panic when the real pain started. After that I couldn't do anything except scream.


	17. Chapter 17

**Warning, there's a lemon in this chapter, marked with xxxxxxxxxx. Thank you so much for all the reviews, favs and alerts :)**

* * *

><p>"I'm on what now?" Kol asked while licking his lips clean.<p>

"On Titanic, sir," the steward repeated calmly, even though Kol had just drained one of his colleagues.

"Hmm," Kol muttered thoughtfully, he remembered reading about this ship. According to the newspapers, the ship should be unsinkable, not even God Himself could sink it. That had been quite an arrogant statement, but Kol hadn't paid much attention to the whole thing, he has had much more important matters in mind. He hadn't had any intention to be on this ship. Damn Nik.

"What day is it?" he asked.

The steward looked confused.

"Saturday, sir."

Kol sighed.

"No, what day? Please tell me it's still 1912."

"Yes, sir, it's 13 April."

That was a relief, he had only been daggered a week. Of course he couldn't have been daggered for very long since he had managed to enter into that human's mind. A useful little trick he had recently learned from a naïve young witch after giving her the best shagging of her life.

"And the ship's destination is…?"

"New York."

"Ah. When will we arrive there?"

"On 17 April."

That could be tricky since he had left the human's body in the trunk where Nik had put him. There was no chance that Nik wouldn't smell it before they would arrive to America. Damn it. Kol cursed himself for not taking the body with him, but that had been the last thing on his mind. For a moment he considered going back to his brother's suite, but that would definitely be too risky. Even though Kol had one dagger, Nik most likely had another one with him. What Kol needed was a plan; there was no way he would go back into that trunk. Unfortunately he was stuck on this ship for the next four days. The thought of hiding infuriated him, damn Nik.

Kol was in a very bad mood when he ordered the steward to get rid of the body. He had caught the two stewards on the hallway and dragged them into the nearest cabin. It was First Class, but not nearly as luxurious as Nik's. According to the steward, it was dinnertime, which explained why the cabin was empty. Kol took a quick look around, there seemed to be a man and a woman, probably a husband and a wife, staying here. The man's clothes didn't fit him perfectly, they were too big, but he still needed to get changed. He was in the small bathroom when the couple returned.

"That was a disgrace!" a woman's voice announced. "Why did you not do anything, we had to dine in the same room with a filthy prostitute!"

"She didn't look like a prostitute to me," a man's voice muttered.

"What?" the woman snapped.

"Nothing, I just meant that this Mr. Mikaelson is planning to marry her…"

"What difference does that make, she is still a prostitute! Who is this man anyway, I have never heard of him."

"I heard that he comes from an old noble family who lives in America now."

"Shameful, just shameful…."

Kol tried to process what he had just heard; his brother was getting married with a prostitute? What the hell? It had to be some kind of misunderstanding. Not the part that his bride would be a prostitute, that Kol could believe. What he couldn't believe was that Nik would get married, no way. Maybe they were talking about Elijah. Yes, that was the only explanation.

"Try to calm down, Edith dear," the man said. "It's not our concern who Niklaus Mikaelson wants to marry."

"I truly feel sorry for his family," the woman huffed. "A blind Third Class prostitute… I cannot think of a worse wife candidate."

The man didn't comment on that. What the hell was going on? Kol had been daggered a week and during that time his heartless brother had got engaged? If, and that was a big if, that was true, Kol could definitely think of few ways to use that for his advantage. But first he needed to have more information and he was sure that this nice couple would be more than happy to help.

* * *

><p>"Viola!"<p>

Klaus' voice was coming from somewhere far away, all I could feel was my skin burning. My body was twitching on the floor, I was screaming and crying.

"Help me! Please!"

I barely even heard the ripping sound or felt my nightgown being torn off; I was going into a shock.

"Dear lord…" Klaus gasped.

"It hurts," I sobbed. "It hurts."

I couldn't understand what had happened, but I could feel that my skin was badly damaged.

"Hold on, love."

I heard a strange sound and felt a drop of warm liquid touching my lips.

"Drink, love. You must drink."

He lifted my head and pressed something against my mouth, I was too much in a shock to even think about what that something was. The liquid pouring into my mouth tasted sweet and salty at the same time, I had never tasted anything like it. It made the pain go away. I kept swallowing more and more of this magical liquid; my hands took a hold on its source and my mouth was sucking greedily. Suddenly my head was full of images, a campfire, the full moon, a wolf howling…

"_You are mine…"_

The voice was coming from inside my head; it was nothing more than an animalistic growl. I was breathing heavily when the source of the liquid was suddenly gone. All the pain was gone as well, but I felt strange, the images were still in my head. A little boy playing with other children, a man grabbing the boy and slapping him, an older boy comforting him, a little girl holding the boy's hand… I didn't have time to even begin to comprehend the whole thing when I felt a strong pair of arms lifting me up. The fact that I was completely naked didn't, for some very strange reason, bother me at all. I leaned my head on Klaus' shoulder when he carried me to the bed and sat down, placing me onto his lap.

"Are you alright?" he asked, his voice sounded strange. Somehow I managed to nod, I couldn't understand what had happened, but I didn't really care, I couldn't form any clear thoughts yet.

"Whoever did this will suffer, I give you my word."

I had no idea what to say, his hand was softly touching my shoulder, then my back.

"Are you sure you are alright? Let me see…"

"_Mine…Take…"_

Suddenly his lips were kissing my neck; I flinched when I felt a sting. It didn't hurt much, especially after his tongue started to lick the spot. Wait, lick? What…

"Forgive me," he muttered. "I can't…"

"_Mine…Take…Now…"_

The next thing I noticed was that his lips captured mine in a fiery kiss. His right hand took a hold of the back of my neck while the left hand grabbed me by the waist, drawing me as close to him as possible. I didn't fight or try to push him away, instead I kissed him back. My mind couldn't understand any of this, but some part of me kept telling me that this was right, he was right. I meant to be with him.

"_Mine…You are mine…"_

"_Yes…"_

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The rational part of me was gone, with a blissful sigh my body surrendered to him completely. I could tell that he felt that, his kiss became tenderer, more tasting than claiming. Gently he lifted me off his lap and pushed me on my back. He stood up, but I felt his eyes on me. Slowly my blurred mind started to truly understand that I was lying on the bed naked, instinctively I covered my breast with my arms.

"It's alright, sweetheart," he said quickly and moved back on the bed. When he leaned down to kiss me, I felt his bare chest, he had taken his shirt off. His body felt warm and his scent made me relax again. Carefully I touched his muscular chest and ran my fingers down to his stomach. My hand stopped when I felt his waistband, I didn't dare to go any lower. His kiss was becoming deeper; his tongue was stroking mine while his hand cupped my breast. I was feeling so many things at once that I didn't know which one to concentrate. His fingers were caressing my breast, his touch sent shudders of pleasure through my body. I was breathing fast when he raised his head and touched my lips with his thumb.

"You feel so good, sweetheart," he muttered. "And you taste even better."

I didn't have time to say anything when his mouth suddenly closed around my breast and started to suck and nip it. I flinched and hoped that he would have explained what he was going to do, even though it suddenly didn't feel unpleasant. His hand was calmingly stroking my stomach, like he would have known what I was thinking. My body relaxed and started to really enjoy all the new sensations; I bit my bottom lip and let out a quiet moan. His mouth moved on to my other breast and his hand was circling my waist, finally touching my hip and my upper thigh.

My heart was beating rapidly when he stroked my knee and slowly slid his hand up towards my inner thigh. His mouth was still sucking my breast, my whole body was tingling. I moaned louder and took a hold of his hair in order to regain some kind of control. I didn't mean to hurt him, but when his fingers made me to spread my legs and touched my most private place, I cried out and pulled his hair so forcefully that he growled.

"I-I am sorry," I panted, but he merely chuckled.

"That's alright, love." He paused and touched my cheek. "You don't want me to stop, do you?"

His tone was almost pleading; I shook my head without hesitation. My rational part was long gone by now, my body had taken over and it wanted this. I sensed his relief when he kissed me and I felt his arousal through his pants. It made me blush, but he didn't notice that, his mouth was sucking the sensitive spot beneath my ear. I moaned and accidently scratched his shoulder.

"You have no idea what you are doing to me…" he muttered and traced kisses down my neck. His hand found its way back between my legs, I squirmed under his touch. I had never felt anything like it, but I was also nervous, no one had ever touched me there.

"Relax and enjoy, love," he purred and moved lower until I felt him kissing my thigh. I gasped when he replaced his hand with his mouth and started to lick me. It made me to lose all the self-control I still had left, I kept screaming and desperately grabbed at the sheets. The waves of pleasure made my whole body tremble. For a very brief moment I wondered was this normal; mama hadn't said anything about something like this...

"Oh Klaus!"

I felt that I couldn't take much more when the waves were becoming stronger and stronger. I was shaking and panting heavily when my body finally collapsed. The feeling was incredible; I was floating in the air.

"That was…" Klaus muttered, crawling up me. I felt him unbuckling his pants and sliding them down his legs.

"Are you ready, love?"

I had no idea what he was asking, my body was weightless, but I nodded. Then I felt him positioning himself between my legs. He entered me slowly, giving me time to adjust.

"Does this hurt?" he asked hoarsely.

I shook my head, strangely I didn't feel any pain, not before he was fully in and my maidenhead was torn. The sudden pain made me to sink my nails into his arm. He caressed my cheek calmingly and waited until I was ready before starting to move inside me. The pain was slowly passing and he was moving faster.

"_Mine…"_

He growled as his thrusts were becoming deeper, I felt a strange need to get closer, so I wrapped my legs around his waist. In that moment we were truly one, nothing else mattered.


	18. Chapter 18

Viola was panting heavily, her nails were digging into Klaus' shoulders before she climaxed. Again. He let out an animalistic growl when he followed her, their fifth time had been even better than the forth. Her back was against the wall, her legs wrapped tightly around his waist, the position was one of his favorites. For a moment he was concerned had he been too rough when he had pushed her against the wall, but she hadn't complained.

Her breathing was fast, her heartbeat was rapid and her whole body was trembling when she leaned her head on his shoulder, he could feel how exhausted she was. There was no doubt that she would have collapsed on the floor if he would have let go of her, her legs wouldn't have hold her. He stroked her hair and inhaled her scent while she tried to catch her breath, he would have been more than ready for the sixth time, but clearly she wasn't.

"Sweetheart? Everything alright?"

She was too exhausted to lift her head, but she managed to nod. He sighed, she definitely couldn't continue, not tonight. The wolf in him wasn't satisfied, it demanded more, but not at the expense of her wellbeing. Her body was fragile, he needed to remember that. He needed to keep her safe. Gently he carried her back to the bed and lied her down. Her eyes closed immediately when her head touched the pillow, she was almost asleep when he lied down beside her and tucked them both in. It wasn't acceptable that she would have been cold.

"You don't have any pain, do you?" he asked and touched her warm rosy cheek.

"No," she muttered weakly, her voice heavy with exhaustion.

She shouldn't be feeling any pain, he had fed her more of his blood during their second time, she had been too distracted to even notice. He looked at her and touched the side of her face; her skin was warm and soft. Her breathing was calm now, she was fast asleep. She was his, completely unquestionably his. Every part of her. He buried his fingers in her hair and caressed her full lips.

"_Mine."_

Yes, she was. He couldn't really identify what he was feeling towards her, but he knew that she belonged to him.

"_My mate…"_

He frowned, my what? The wolf in him was purring with delight, like it would know something he didn't. He couldn't remember ever being able to feel that side of him, not after his mother had cursed him. The wolf had been trapped somewhere deep inside of him, but it was craving to come out, to claim its prize. No, she wasn't a prize; she was much more than that. He wrapped his arms possessively around her and pulled her close. She sighed in her sleep and snuggled against him, feeling her naked body touching his, made his body to immediately react.

He had to struggle to control himself and relax, she needed to rest. After being sure that he was in control, he positioned his arm over her hip and drew her as close as possible. She fit against him perfectly; she was right where she belonged. His mate… That must be a wolf thing. He remembered hearing that most werewolves mated for life, but their mate was always another werewolf, humans were usually just temporary amusement. That was the thing, he wasn't a werewolf and neither was she, he was absolutely sure of it.

Still he had to admit that he wasn't completely sure if she was a human either, at least not a normal human. There was some strange flavor in her blood. Strange, but delicious. Well, it didn't really matter; his witches could surely confirm his suspicions or tell him that he was mistaken after they would arrive to New Orleans. But there was something he needed to do first, he would find and slaughter the bastard who had dared to hurt her.

* * *

><p>I blinked few times after waking up, I was much disoriented. The bed was soft and I felt warm under the covers, but I also felt very…strange. After lifting the covers, I realized that I was naked. Slowly I started to remember everything, the pain, the liquid, Klaus… Klaus. Quickly I felt the bed around me, I was alone. For some reason the realization filled me with fear, would he ask me to leave now when he had gotten what he wanted?<p>

There were so many things I couldn't understand, my mind was a mess. What had caused the pain, what had made it to stop, why had I… I remembered all the new sensations, his touch, his kisses… It had been… I didn't even have words to describe it. Now I felt very vulnerable, I wrapped the cover around me and was just about to get up when I heard the door opening. It was Klaus, I could tell by his scent. He didn't move or said a word, I was really becoming nervous.

"Klaus?" I muttered insecurely. I heard his footsteps when he walked over to the bed and sat down beside me.

"I'm right here, love," he said and kissed my cheek. "Did you sleep well?"

"I… Yes, I guess so."

"Good. How are you feeling?" He paused and ran his fingers over my neck, his touch made my body tingle. "Are you hurting?"

I shook my head. "No, I just… I cannot understand…"

"I know," he said calmingly and wrapped an arm around me. "I will explain to you everything, I promise, but perhaps you would like to take a bath and eat something first?"

That sounded almost too good to be true, a warm bath and a meal, I was starving.

"There's a bath ready for you," he continued. "And I ordered us some lunch."

"What?" I gasped. "Lunch?"

"Yes, it's past noon, love." He sounded amused. "Apparently I really exhausted you."

His words made me blush, but he merely chuckled.

"My sweet girl…" He kissed my forehead and started to stroke my back. I tried to desperately clear my head; I needed to know what was going on.

"Are we still… engaged?"

His hand stopped moving.

"Yes, of course we are. Don't tell me you still thought I would abandon you."

I shook my head. "I don't know, I am trying to understand what happened. I mean, it was…wonderful and…"

"And?"

I took a deep breath. "I enjoyed it." Was that a wrong thing to say? Mama had warned me that it would feel unpleasant, even painful, on the first time, but with a kind and patient husband I would learn to like it. I remembered hearing a preacher saying that only sinful harlots enjoyed it, a wife's duty was to satisfy her husband's need and bare his children. Had it been wrong to enjoy it, especially when we weren't married?

"I'm glad to hear that, love."

Suddenly I realized something, I had moaned and cried out when his brother had been in the next room. The thought turned my face red.

"What is wrong?" he asked immediately.

"Your brother…"

"Oh, no need to worry, he didn't sleep here."

I was too relieved to even ask where he had slept.

"I could take that bath now if that's alright."

"Yes, of course, it's ready in the bathroom; the water should still be warm."

I nodded gratefully. "Thank you. After that we can talk?"

"Absolutely, I will explain everything to you."

He took my hand and helped me to my feet; I kept the cover wrapped around me when I walked to the bathroom. The warm water felt wonderful, my whole body relaxed immediately when I got into the bathtub. I sighed and simply enjoyed myself for a moment before picking up the sponge; I had felt it on the side of the bathtub. I had so many questions and I couldn't really imagine what was this "everything" Klaus wanted to explain to me. I tilted my head when I smelled the food, my stomach was growling. Carefully I got out of the bathtub and reached for the towel. I also found something else, something soft and silky. After feeling it, I recognized it as a bathrobe. My guess was that it was silk.

"Klaus?"

The door opened almost immediately.

"Yes, love?"

"May I borrow your bathrobe?"

He chuckled.

"It's not mine, sweetheart, I got it for you. And no need to worry, it's safe."

I was confused. "What?"

He was quiet for a brief moment before answering.

"There was some kind of poison inside your nightgown and some of your other clothes as well; I threw them all away to be safe."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing, was he serious?

"Poison?"

"Yes, but no need to worry, I will get you some new clothes right after lunch."

"I…I don't understand…" I muttered. "If I was poisoned, how did I…"

"That is one of the things I need to explain to you, he replied, he sounded a little tense. "Here…"

I didn't move when he wrapped the bathrobe around me, I couldn't even enjoy how the fabric felt against my skin. He led me to the parlor and helped me to sit at the table.

"Eat, love, you must be hungry."

I shook my head, although I was starving. "Please…Tell me what is going on."

He was quiet for a while and sighed.

"Alright… Alright, where should I start…"

A knock on the door interrupted him and startled me.

"Not now!" Klaus shouted.

There was another knock, more cautious this time.

"Excuse me, sweetheart," he said and marched to the door, I heard him opening it. "What?" he snapped.

"Forgive me, sir," a man's voice said. "I did not mean to disturb you, but this is urgent. Your brother asked you to join him immediately; it's some kind of emergency."

"An emergency?"

"Yes, he pleaded you to hurry."

"Wait there."

I stood up when I heard Klaus approaching me.

"What is wrong?" I asked, I was really nervous.

"I will go and find out, I will be right back," he said and kissed my forehead. "Stay here and do not let anyone in. I mean it."

I nodded; this wasn't the right time to ask more questions. "I understand."

"I will be right back," he repeated before he left. I had no idea what to do after I heard the door closing after him. My appetite was gone, how could I eat before I would know had something happened to Klaus' brother. I almost jumped when someone suddenly started to bang the door.

"Viola!"

It was papa's voice.

"Viola, please help me!"

"Papa?"

I forgot everything Klaus had told me, papa needed my help.

"Please!"

"Hold on, I am coming."

My hands were shaking, but I managed to unlock the door.

"Papa? What is wrong…"

I tried to scream when someone grabbed me and a hand covered my mouth.

"Thank you, Stephen."

I froze in shock when I recognized the male voice; it was the man who papa had lost me to. I tried to bite his hand when I felt a piece of cloth pressing against my mouth and nose. I felt dizzy, but I fought as hard as I could, I couldn't pass out…

"Shh, shh," he whispered. "There is no use to fight, darling. Just let go…"

After one more desperate attempt to free myself, my body gave up, but I never hit the floor, I felt him lifting me into his arms. After that I didn't feel anything.


	19. Chapter 19

Klaus was marching across the long hallway that led to The Lounge, according to the steward; Elijah was waiting for him there. Hopefully nothing had happened to Viola's father, she would no doubt be devastated. Klaus had spoken with his brother earlier this morning, poor Elijah have had a rough night. Apparently Viola's cousins were anything except boring company; they had partied at the Third Class dining room the whole night. Viola's father on the other hand had gone to bed early, saying that he needed to speak with his daughter first thing in the morning.

The problem was that he had never arrived to the Mikaelson suite, Elijah had spent the morning looking for him. Klaus' guess was that the damn human had decided to take a nice little opium trip. Of course it was possible that this attacker had done something to him, but hopefully that wasn't the case. Thinking about the pathetic coward who had poisoned Viola's clothes made Klaus furious, when he would get his hands on the damn bastard… His thoughts were cut off when someone stepped in front of him. Charles Spencer.

"Excuse me, Mr. Mikaelson," he stated rigidly. "May I have a word with you?"

"This isn't a good time," Klaus replied coolly. Didn't these people ever give up? The human looked tense and Klaus could smell the alcohol, but he didn't seem to be drunk.

"Please, this won't take long. I need to… speak with you."

Klaus sighed.

"With all due respect, Mr. Spencer, I am not interested in your daughter, I'm engaged…"

"Yes, I know. That is what I want to talk to you about. I… we need to talk about Viola… Miss Clayton."

Klaus raised his eyebrows.

"Pardon?"

"Please," Mr. Spencer said motioned Klaus to follow him. "This won't take long."

After a brief hesitation Klaus decided to listen what this man had to say. Judging by his tension and poorly hidden nervousness, this was something important. Mr. Spencer led him to his suite, which was empty, his wife and daughter weren't there.

"Drink?" he asked.

"No, thank you," Klaus replied. "Let's get to the point, shall we?"

Mr. Spencer's hands were shaking a little when he poured himself a drink before turning to face Klaus.

"Alright…" he muttered and emptied his glass with a one gulp. "I shall get to the point. What are your intentions concerning Miss Clayton?"

Klaus was genuinely surprised, he certainly hadn't expected that.

"I hardly think that is any of your business…"

"I am afraid I must disagree," Mr. Spencer interrupted him tensely.

"Really? Why is that?"

The human pressed his lips together; he looked like he could use another drink.

"Are you a gentleman, Mr. Mikaelson?"

"Yes, I am," Klaus replied. He was becoming curious.

Mr. Spencer nodded.

"What I am about to say now can never leave this room, I am asking you to give me your word as a gentleman."

Klaus looked at him intently and nodded.

"I give you my word."

"Thank you," Mr. Spencer sighed. "I realize all this probably seems highly inappropriate to you, but I wouldn't do this without a very good reason. That reason is Miss Clayton and her wellbeing."

"What do you mean?" Klaus asked, keeping his tone calm.

Mr. Spencer hesitated before answering.

"I… I knew her mother, Miriam. I gave her my word that I would look after the girl as much as I can."

"How did you know her?" Klaus asked.

Mr. Spencer tried to look calm, but he seemed very uncomfortable.

"She… She worked in my house as a maid."

Klaus crossed his arms; he could easily see what the human wasn't saying out loud.

"You loved her." It was a statement, not a question. Mr. Spencer looked suddenly very pale.

"That is not relevant, what I want to know are your intentions concerning the girl. Surely you must understand that her life hadn't been easy, if you are merely toying with her…"

"I'm not. Tell me more about her mother and you."

Mr. Spencer's eyes widened.

"I will not…"

Klaus zoomed in front of him and looked into his eyes; something told him that he needed to hear the whole story.

"Tell me," he commanded.

"I wanted her from the first time I laid eyes on her," Mr. Spencer started without hesitation. "Her scent… it drove me crazy. I couldn't understand what I was feeling; I simply needed to have her."

Klaus stared at him disbelievingly; how the hell had he missed this?

"You are a werewolf."

"Yes," Mr. Spencer replied mechanically. "It has been the curse of my family for generations. My father told me how to keep the beast hidden and I have managed to do that."

He hadn't activated his wolf side.

"Do you know what Viola's mother was?" Klaus asked, his voice held no emotion.

"She told me that the women of her family are cursed to attract the male beasts, they are like catnip for wolves. Her husband didn't know and she was afraid to tell him, that is why she asked me to look after the girl. She wanted to make sure that her daughter would never be violated by the beasts like she was when she was younger."

Klaus' eyes narrowed when he truly started to comprehend Mr. Spencer's words.

"Did you hurt Viola or her mother?"

Mr. Spencer shook his head.

"No, my beast is hidden; I was able to control myself. I loved Miriam, I wouldn't have hurt her. Comparing to my wife, she was… Well, you have met my wife."

Klaus could certainly understand what he meant.

"Were you two lovers?"

"Yes, but I did not force her, she was attracted to me as well."

Klaus needed a moment to gather his thoughts; this was a lot to digest. Catnip… That actually wasn't a bad comparison; he would have done anything to have Viola. Would he have taken her against her will? He didn't want to believe that. Was he sure, no. He felt a strong need to protect her, but would he have protected her from himself?

"_Yes, mine. You won't hurt what's mine…"_

Shut up, wolfie.

"You did a wonderful job looking after Viola," he snapped in order to get rid of his unpleasant thoughts.

"I did my best," Mr. Spencer replied. "I supported her family after she lost her eyesight, I paid her father's debts several times after he started to spend time in opium dens and I made sure that he didn't lose their home."

"Hmm, what did Stephen thought about that?"

Mr. Spencer shook his head.

"He didn't know, he thought that he was getting lucky in card games."

Klaus almost laughed, lucky indeed.

"Why didn't her mother tell her the truth?"

Mr. Spencer hesitated.

"I think she was planning to when Viola would be a little older, but she died before that."

There was sadness in Mr. Spencer's voice, clearly he truly missed Viola's mother.

"Why didn't you tell her?"

"I…I do not know. I suppose I did not know how and besides, would she have believed something like that? I knew I would have to try for her safety, so she could be careful, but I thought I would have time after this trip, I had no idea that she and her father were on this ship."

Klaus didn't say anything; his mind was still processing all the new information. At least he knew the truth now. He couldn't help but wonder how real his feelings for her were…

"_You know they're real, she's mine…"_

Shut up!

"_Fine, ours…"_

Klaus snorted, he had liked his wolf side much more when it had kept its mouth shut. But he had to admit that the wolfie was right, knowing what had drawn him to her didn't really change anything, he still wanted her and he needed to keep her safe.

* * *

><p>Kol looked at the unconscious girl lying on the bed; her breasts were rising and falling as she breathed. What were the odds of her being this "blind Third Class prostitute" he had heard so much about. He had hardly believed his ears when he had finally learned the name of Nik's blushing bride. That had been just…perfect. His good luck had continued when he had run into Stephen who had given him plenty of useful information.<p>

He tilted his head when the girl shivered. She was only wearing a silk bathrobe; it wasn't difficult to tell what she and Nik had been doing last night. His pretty little peach had managed to charm his big bad brother so well that he was planning to marry her. The thought made Kol smile, he has had some serious trouble believing the whole thing; it was almost too good to be true.

He still had his doubts whether Nik would actually want her back or not, but he figured that using her as leverage would be his best shot to get out of this damn ship without a dagger in his heart. He bent down and softly touched her neck; he had to admit that he was curious. Sure she was pretty and she no doubt tasted delicious, but what was it about her that had attracted his brother so much?

She shivered again; it seemed that she was cold. Carelessly he picked up a blanket and placed it on her, who said that he wasn't a gentleman. For a moment he pondered what to do next, he needed to know did she mean enough for his brother. He sat down beside her and started to wake her up; she would give him the answers he needed.


	20. Chapter 20

"Wake up, darling. Come on; open those pretty eyes of yours."

The voice sounded familiar, I had heard it before, but I was too disoriented to remember who it belonged to. I smelled some strong scent, it reminded me of vinegar, and I felt someone caressing my cheek. The smell was getting more and more unpleasant; it made me to turn my head away.

"That's it," the same voice said. "That's my girl."

I couldn't understand what had happened, my head hurt and I was nauseous.

"I apologize for using the chloroform, darling, but I'm afraid I couldn't take any chances."

In that second I recognized the male voice and panicked. No, this couldn't be happening, how was he on this ship? I tried to get up as fast as I could, but my body refused to cooperate, I almost managed to get into a sitting position, but I fell back on something soft, I was probably on a bed. What bed and where?

"Easy now, my little peach," he said and touched my shoulder. "Surely you do not want to hurt yourself?"

I was terrified; I could feel that I was only wearing the bathrobe. Instinctively I wrapped it tighter around me.

"It seems that you remember me," he stated. "Good, that will save us some time."

"Where…" I started hoarsely.

"Oh, just a moment," he said, I felt him getting off the bed. I didn't have time to do anything when the bed squeaked under his weight again and he slid his hand under my head.

"Here's some water," he said and lifted my head. I kept my mouth firmly closed when I felt the glass touching my lips, how would I know that he was telling the truth, he could try to drug me.

"Come on, it's just water."

I shook my head; I wasn't going to take anything from him. He sighed and poured few drops on my lips.

"Can you feel that? Just water. Come on, open your mouth."

I hesitated, but I was really thirsty and my mouth had never felt so dry, so I took a risk and parted my lips. When the cold liquid reached my throat, I started to cough. He helped me into a sitting position and tapped my back.

"There, all better."

I still had some trouble to control my body, but at least I didn't fell down again. His fingers started to play with my hair, before I realized what I was doing, I slapped his hand.

"Do not touch me," I muttered.

"Now, now, that wasn't very nice," he said smoothly. "You might want to try a different approach, darling."

I tried my best to stay calm, but I was scared, very much so.

"I… You have no right to do this, sir," I said as calmly as I could. "I demand you take me back to my fiancé."

"Is that so?" He sounded amused, I felt him leaning closer. "I'm curious, darling, what are you planning to do if I decline?"

I swallowed, I had to stay calm.

"No one will know about this if you take me back right now, I swear, I will not tell anyone…"

His laugh interrupted me, it gave me the chills.

"Oh, my sweet little peach… I am afraid you have to do better than that."

"What do you want from me?" I forced myself to ask.

"Few things," he replied. "This can be pleasant or unpleasant, the choice is completely yours."

I wrapped my arms around me and tried very hard for not to show my fear.

"My…my father does not own me," I said, trying to sound confident. "This…agreement you had with him…"

"Your father lost you to me," he cut in. "That means you belong to me."

I shook my head.

"No, I do not; I am not an object to be trade for."

He was quiet for a brief moment; I could feel him staring at me.

"Tell me about your fiancé," he suddenly demanded.

I couldn't understand why he wanted that, but my instincts warned me to be careful.

"He is a kind man," I replied firmly. "A gentleman."

My capturer was quiet again before bursting into laughter.

"A kind man?" he chuckled. "That's just…hilarious."

I pressed my lips together, I was too angry to be afraid. "Yes, he is," I snapped.

"Oh, darling… so sweet and naïve. Who would have thought he fancies that…"

"What?"

"How long have you known him?" he asked, ignoring my question.

I wasn't sure if I should answer, but the question seemed harmless.

"We met on the ship."

"Honestly? And now you two are engaged?"

"Yes and I wish to go back to him."

"I bet you do," he purred and ran his fingers over my neck. "It seems that you have already fulfilled your…marital duties."

I blushed and tried to move away from him, but he grabbed my arm.

"Come on now, there's no need to be shy. Who could blame him for wanting to have a taste of this?"

"Get your hands off me," I hissed and tried to free my arm, but his grip was viselike. "Let me go!"

"I am afraid I can't do that," he replied arrogantly. I was really struggling now, trying desperately to free myself, but he was too strong.

"Let me go!"

"Calm down," he demanded and forced me on my back. I struggled as hard as I could when he captured me between the mattress and his body and pinned my wrists above my head with just one hand. I screamed, kicked, squirmed, but it made no difference. Still I didn't stop before I had no strength left, I was panting.

"Are you done?" he asked. "Too bad, I was really enjoying myself. I am starting to understand what he sees in you…And…" I flinched when he touched my cheek. "…as much as I would have loved for you and me to get more… acquainted with one another, I can be generous, I can give you to my brother, assuming we reach an understanding."

His words brought my fear back; I was forced to understand what kind of danger I was in. He was planning to pass me off to someone else.

"I am not yours to give, sir," I said, I couldn't stop my voice from shaking. "I am asking you to let me go, I can… I can pay you."

Fortunately I had just remembered the ruby necklace. Yes, it was an engagement gift, but surely Klaus would understand.

"I have a ruby necklace, you can have it."

"A ruby necklace?" he repeated. "Your fiancé gave it to you?"

I hesitated; suddenly I realized that he might try to blackmail Klaus or something worse. I couldn't let that to happen, I had to protect Klaus. He didn't deserve to be dragged in the middle of this.

"It is mine," I replied simply. "I own it."

"Hmm. Perhaps I should ask your fiancé…"

"No!" I shouted. "You leave him alone, he have nothing to do with this!"

I tried to free myself again, as useless as that was.

"My, my… Are you actually trying to protect him?"

I didn't say anything, but I didn't struggle either, I needed to save my strength in case I could find an opportunity to escape. The problem was that I had no idea where I was.

"Well, I believe I got my answer. My brother will most definitely want you back. Too bad he does not deserve your loyalty."

"What are you talking about?" I asked. "I do not know your brother."

"Oh, I believe you do. Niklaus, Nik, Klaus, whatever he likes to call himself."

"What?" I gasped. "You are lying."

"No, I'm not, he is my brother. And believe me, he can be a real bastard sometimes."

"No…"

I didn't believe him, how could he be Klaus' brother? He had mentioned that he had two other brothers besides Elijah, but… No, that couldn't be possible.

"_He had a British accent, but his name was strange, Kul or something like that."_

_"Kol."_

_"Yeah, that was it. How did you know?"_

_"Lucky guess…"_

No, no… Why hadn't he told me? He had promised to be honest to me after the whole valet thing. What else had he lied about? Suddenly I realized what Kol had said earlier about giving me to his brother. Was that what he had done, gave me to Klaus? The thought upset me so badly that I didn't even notice when Kol got off of me and rolled down beside me.

"Yes, my family has plenty of dark secrets, I doubt that my brother have filled you in on those. Shame on him, I think you deserve to know who you gave your innocence to."

"Did you sell me to him?" I asked quietly, I wasn't going to cry. "Or was I free, a gift?"

He didn't answer; I was too numb to care about anything anymore. The worst part was that I could only blame myself; I had trusted someone who had already lied to me once.

"Is it your turn now?" I snapped, stupid tears were burning behind my eyes. "Well go ahead, but know that it will never be consensual. Even if you can force yourself on me, it will be nothing but an act of violence and you are nothing but a coward."

I didn't really care what he would say, I was sick of being toyed with. Yet a part of me refused to believe that Klaus would have done that, what we had was real. Yes, maybe to me, but apparently I was a foolish girl. Sweet and naïve…

"Relax, darling," Kol huffed. "I have no intention to do that, although I can guarantee that you would enjoy it."

"What are you going to do to me then?" I asked tiredly.

"You are leverage. As I said, my brother can be a real bastard."

"You think he cares what will happen to me?"

"Yes, I believe he does. Strange, I didn't think he would be capable of caring about anyone except himself; he is the one who always preached that feelings are a weakness. Oh well, better for me."

I tried to understand the whole situation, but I really couldn't, the relationship between Klaus and his brother seemed to be strange to say the least. My stomach was growling again, I had forgotten how hungry I was.

"Have my brother not fed you? How very ungentlemanly of him."

I didn't say anything, apparently all this was just a one big joke to Kol.

"I suppose I will have to do it," he continued.

"No, you do not," I snapped. "I do not want or need anything from you."

"Whatever you say, darling. You better make yourself comfortable; you are not going anywhere anytime soon."


	21. Chapter 21

Charles Spencer sat on the sofa, quietly staring at his glass. He was lost in his memories; he missed his beautiful Miriam so much. He had spent the happiest moments of his life with her; she had been his only light. Perhaps it was wrong of him to think like that, he had a wife and daughter. Yes, a wife that his father had chosen for him because uniting their families had been good for business. Charles had been 19 when he had married Henrietta; he had been too much of a coward to defy his father.

She had been spoiled and arrogant from the beginning, but he had hoped that he would eventually learn to love her. That hadn't happened, but at least he had learned to tolerate her. It was actually quite easy; he simply stayed quiet and let her talk. And talk. And talk. Sometimes he fantasized about telling her to finally keep her damn mouth shut. Miriam hadn't been like that, she had always listened when he had something to say. She had been warm and understanding, his thoughts had meant something to her.

He had wanted to leave his wife and marry her, no matter how big of a scandal it would have been, but she hadn't wanted that, despite of everything, she had loved her husband. The guilt of being unfaithful had haunted her, but she hadn't been able to deny her feelings. If there was a one person for everyone, to Charles that person had been Miriam. Losing her had almost broken him and it had certainly made his prison to feel even more distressing. He didn't love his wife and as terrible as it sounded, he didn't love his daughter either.

He had tried when Clarissa had been a child, but he had noticed that something wasn't right with the girl. Her temper tantrums had been anything but normal and there had been some kind of wickedness in her ever since she had been a small child. Henrietta certainly hadn't helped by spoiling the girl, now she was just intolerable brat. Charles truly felt sorry for her husband, whoever the poor devil would be. Not Niklaus Mikaelson, that was for sure. The thought made Charles smile; it would be good for Clarissa to learn that she couldn't always get what she wanted.

Seeing Mr. Mikaelson with Viola had really upset Clarissa, but fortunately she hadn't done anything foolish. After talking with Mr. Mikaelson, Charles was convinced that he would treat Viola well; she would be safe with him. Charles had always been fond of the girl; she had been a delightful child, full of life. Miriam had loved her daughter more than anything and if she would have agreed to marry Charles, he would have treated the girl like she would be his own.

Things hadn't been the same after Clarissa had attacked the poor girl. Clarissa's eyes had been flaming in rage when she had kept hitting bleeding Viola with a candlestick. The sight had genuinely shocked Charles; he hadn't wanted to believe that his daughter would be capable of something like that. When Clarissa had been younger, Charles had suspected that the beast in her made her act like she did, if she had inherited his curse. After seeing her almost killing Viola, he couldn't blame the beast anymore, his daughter simply was rotten.

She wasn't capable of feeling empathy and he doubted that she really cared about anyone, unless they were useful to her. He hadn't told her about their family curse, some instinct had warned him not to. Perhaps that made him a terrible father, but who cared. He sighed and emptied his glass. At least Miriam's daughter would be safe, he was more than grateful for that.

* * *

><p>Klaus walked towards The Lounge, he was still thinking about his conversation with Charles Spencer. Of course Mr. Spencer didn't remember telling him all those things, he had compelled him to think that there was no need to worry, Viola would be safe. For some very strange reason Klaus had almost felt sorry for the man, he had obviously truly loved Viola's mother. Or had he? How did this "curse" work? He definitely needed more information about that.<p>

"_I want to go back to her…"_

And I want you to shut up.

"_I want to taste her… I want to claim her… I want to…"_

Shut up! Stupid wolf…

"_Give her to me!"_

Klaus frowned, the wolf sounded angry and distressed. He didn't like this at all; he had never been able to feel his wolf side like this and it had certainly never spoken to him. The worst part was that it wasn't just the wolf who thought like that, he wanted to turn around, march back to the suite and take her again. She had rested and she had probably already eaten, her body would last hours before she would need to rest again.

"_Yes! Give her to me!"_

No! She wasn't a toy; she deserved to be treated respectfully. He wasn't some damn animal. The wolf was growling, it wasn't pleased. He had trouble to understand the whole thing, no one had ever affected him like Viola had. She was his; that was all he knew for sure. Finally he reached The Lounge, but Elijah wasn't there. Great. Klaus looked around and went to The Smoke Room, but he wasn't there either. Perhaps Elijah had gone to their suite while Klaus had talked with Mr. Spencer. Klaus turned around and returned to the hallway. When he opened the door to the suite he saw that he had guessed right, Elijah was sitting on the armchair, he didn't look very pleased.

"Well, I had a fun morning," Elijah stated coolly. "Almost as fun as last night."

Klaus ignored him and walked over to the table, the food hadn't been touched. In that moment he realized that he couldn't pick up a heartbeat.

"Where's Viola?" he asked immediately.

"It seems that she is with her father, who apparently wanted to play hide and seek the whole morning."

Klaus turned to look at him.

"What?"

Elijah cocked his head towards the coffee table; there was a piece of paper placed on it. Klaus' eyes narrowed when he picked it up.

_I need to speak with my daughter, we'll be back soon._

_Stephen_

Klaus stared at the piece of paper and gritted his teeth, this wasn't acceptable at all.

"Where are they?" he asked tensely.

"I have no idea," Elijah replied. "I just arrived here. Now if you will excuse me, I need to clean myself up and get changed."

"Wait," Klaus said when his brother stood up. "They left before you got here?"

"Yes."

"I will go and find them…"

"Perhaps you should let them talk," Elijah suggested calmly. "He's her father, your soon to be father-in-law."

"Yes, I know," Klaus snorted. "I'm willing to tolerate him for Viola, but this I won't tolerate, no one takes her anywhere without my permission."

Elijah raised his eyebrows.

"Calm down, Niklaus, the young lady has the right to speak with her father."

Klaus didn't comment on that, his anger was rising. He wanted to break Stephen's neck.

"_Mine!"_

The wolf was growling and before he even noticed, he was growling as well.

"Niklaus?"

Elijah was staring at him. Klaus grabbed the coffee table and tossed it across the room.

"She needs to be here!" he shouted. "She's mine!"

Elijah's eyes widened.

"Alright, try to calm down…"

"Don't tell me to calm down!"

Elijah raised his hands in surrender; he probably thought that Klaus had suddenly lost his mind. Maybe he had, he couldn't understand what he was feeling. It was a very strange mixture of anger, anxiety, jealousy, possessiveness and fear. Fear of losing her. What if her father would convince her to leave him?

"_No!"_

He would never let her go, never.

"Niklaus?" Elijah said calmly. "Would you mind telling me what is going on?"

"What?" Klaus snapped.

Elijah cleared his throat.

"I think it's wonderful that you care about this girl, but I can see there's something you are not telling me."

"There's not," Klaus muttered. "I will marry her tonight and she will come to New Orleans with us."

Elijah was quiet for a moment before replying.

"Does she know the truth about us? The whole truth?"

"I will tell her when the time is right," Klaus replied tensely.

Elijah shook his head and sighed.

"You want her to bind herself to you without knowing what you are…"

"That's none of your business," Klaus snapped. "I'm warning you, stay out of this."

"Fine," Elijah huffed and headed to the bathroom. "I believe I already spent more than enough time with your new relatives."

Klaus ran his fingers through his hair when Elijah closed the bathroom door behind him. He felt a little calmer now, but the damn wolf was still complaining. Stephen better bring Viola back and fast.


	22. Chapter 22

Clarissa was marching across the hallway, she was furious. Her mother had stayed at The Reading and Writing Room gossiping with some boring old hags, everyone was talking about Niklaus Mikaelson and his Third Class whore. That problem should have been already taken care of, but Lewis was missing and Clarissa had no idea had he finished his task.

Surely she would have heard if he would have finished it, the little servant whore would have needed a doctor and Niklaus Mikaelson would have no doubt called off this abomination, also known as his wedding. Clarissa still couldn't understand how the little whore had managed to trick him into proposing to her, who in his right mind would want a blind, poor and ugly wife.

Where the hell was Lewis when she needed him? Hopefully her father hadn't sent him to take care of some meaningless task. Her parents didn't know about most of the orders Clarissa had given to Lewis and he always obeyed like a lapdog. Her father paid him a lot of money, but that wasn't the only reason for his loyalty. He, like so many other men, was in love with Clarissa. She knew that and she certainly knew how to take advantage of that. Finally Clarissa reached the door to his cabin and knocked.

"Lewis? Open the door."

She knocked few times, but didn't get any reply. That was the last straw, she was more than furious. Fortunately she found a maid and forced her to unlock the door. Stupid bitch was on the brink of tears after she threatened to get her fired and make sure that she would never find another job. Lewis' cabin was very small, but he kept it perfectly tidy. Clarissa searched the whole cabin and found something from under the mattress. A gun. She picked it up and observed it carelessly; Lewis had taught her how to use it. After a brief moment of consideration, she took it with her. Something told her that she might need it.

* * *

><p>Kol glanced at the steward who handed him a tray; he had ordered few of them to guard the hallway in case Nik would show up, although Kol doubted that. He was keeping the girl in the Chief Officer's cabin, it was quite small, but it served its purpose. Her father was in the next cabin, Kol had just checked on him. Fortunately he, unlike the girl, could be compelled to stay in the cabin and keep his mouth shut. Kol had found some use for him, but not yet, it was too early. He simply couldn't afford to fail, not unless he wanted to be daggered again.<p>

After seeing that everything was in order, Kol headed back to the Chief Officer's cabin. He had chained the girl to the bed with handcuffs and gagged her, just in case. It seemed that she was quite stubborn; she was lying still now, but the bleeding bruises on her wrists told him how hard she had tried to free herself. Her heart was beating fast, her hands were shaking and it seemed that she had cried. Kol clicked his tongue and placed the tray on a small desk.

"Oh, my little peach… Did you really think you could get away?"

She gasped for air when he took the gag off.

"Don't…" she panted. "Please… I cannot breathe, I cannot breathe…"

Apparently being chained up had made her panic; that happened to some people. Not that he had to chain people up very often, he could simply use compulsion. Some women who he had been with had enjoyed playing with ropes and chains, but his little peach didn't seem to be one of those women.

"There, there, darling," he hummed and caressed her cheek. She didn't react to his touch in any way, not by flinching or by telling him not to touch her. The bathrobe hardly covered her nice body, her struggling had made it to open and he could practically see half of her breasts. She was breathing faster when he enjoyed the sight and licked his lips, smelling her fear had brought out his predatory side. He had never taken a woman against her will, but he had no doubt that in different circumstances he could have made her agreeable within days. Too bad things had gone the way they had, he would have most definitely enjoyed taking her. He had never tried a blind girl; the experience would have surely been interesting. What a pity.

"Would you like me to unchain you?" he asked and ran his fingers over her neckline before wrapping the bathrobe tighter around her.

"Yes, please," she muttered.

He couldn't help but smile, she was cute. And she would have been his without Nik and his lousy daggers. His brother definitely deserved to pay, even if Kol would have to eventually give the girl to him. But he could also use her to get back at Nik. The girl's hands were shaking when he unchained her, the bruises looked nasty.

"I brought you something to eat, darling."

He stood up and walked over to the desk. When he turned around with the tray, he saw that she had gotten into a sitting position and curled her legs up against her chest, like she would have tried to shield herself from him. The thought was amusing and it attracted the predator in him. He was wicked like that; he enjoyed the fear of his prey. Not that she was his prey, but that didn't stop him from savoring her sweet scent.

"A cup of tea with honey and some sandwiches. How does that sound?"

She didn't say anything, but it wasn't difficult to tell how hungry she was. He placed the tray on a small bedside table and picked up one of the sandwiches before sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Open up," he said and brought the sandwich in front of her face.

She pressed her lips together, she seemed angry.

"I am not a child," she muttered tensely. "I don't need anyone to feed me."

"Fine," he said, he didn't bother to hide his amusement. "Take it."

Her hands were still shaking when she raised them in order to reach for the sandwich. He had to admit that there was something strangely appealing about her helplessness; she was completely at his mercy. Perhaps that was one of the things about her that attracted Nik so much, it would be more than easy for him to keep her completely under his control. The thought made Kol huff, Nik had always been beyond obsessed of being in control. Viola touched every part of the sandwich before taking a cautious bite. After that, she couldn't control herself any longer, she devoured the whole sandwich.

"Another one?" Kol asked politely when she licked her fingers clean; it was entertaining to watch her eat.

"Yes, please."

She ate three sandwiches before drinking her tea.

"Thank you," she said rigidly while handing him the empty cup.

"You're welcome, darling," he replied smiling and placed the cup on the bedside table. "Are you planning to give me a little something in return?"

She tensed and crossed her arms over her chest.

"No."

"Come on," he chuckled and moved closer to her. "How about a kiss?"

"How about not," she replied tensely.

Apparently she still had some spunk, her hands clenched by her sides when he leaned towards her. He was so close that his lips almost touched her cheek; he could easily hear her heart pounding.

"My brother told me how talented you are with your mouth, darling," he purred. "One of the best bed warmers he has ever had. In fact, he said that I can try you myself if I want to."

He observed her closely, curious to see her reaction. Strangely he had some trouble to interpret her expression; she pulled herself together admirably quickly.

"That's a lie," she hissed.

"Is it now? Why would you think that?"

She crossed her arms and turned her head away.

"I am not going to do this."

He raised his eyebrows.

"Do what, darling?"

"Participate in your game. I don't know or care what is going on between you and Klaus, but obviously you have some serious issues with him. You want me to hate him."

Kol smiled; she was quite perceptive for a blind girl.

"I have no need to do that," he huffed. "He is perfectly capable of doing that himself with his charming personality."

To his surprise, she let out a joyless laugh.

"That is funny coming from you. I think I begin to understand why Klaus did not tell me about you."

Kol's eyebrows furrowed, this wasn't going the way he wanted.

"You think you know my brother, do you?"

She didn't say anything, but she looked confident. Apparently she wasn't as gullible as he had thought.

"Alright then," he continued charmingly. "I can see that you have decided to be loyal to him, there is nothing I can say that would change your mind."

"No, there is not."

Kol smiled and took her hand.

"Well, you must at least allow me to help you with your wounds."

She gasped when he started to lick her wrist, she tasted very good. There was something strange about her blood; he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"Hmm," he purred. "Yummy."

"You…you are sick," she gasped.

He smirked and kissed her hand before raising it to his lips.

"Feel my face," he ordered.

She shook her head. "No…"

"Feel it!"

He put her finger in his mouth, forcing her to touch his razor-sharp fangs. She looked completely shocked, he allowed her to yank her hand away.

"What…"

Apparently she was too shocked to move, he could see a whole variety of feelings on her face. Confusion, disbelief, fear and curiosity, as strange as that was. He was genuinely surprised when she bit her bottom lip and cautiously raised her hands to his face. Carefully she touched his cheeks; clearly she could feel the black veins beneath his eyes. That made her fingers to stop moving for a moment, but then she continued, touching his nose, his forehead and finally his lips. He didn't move, his eyes were on her the whole time. After a brief hesitation, she parted his lips with her soft fingers and touched his fangs again.

"What are you?" she asked quietly.

"I'm a vampire," he replied casually. "So is my brother."

She didn't seem to know what to think.

"A vampire? A creature from fairytales?"

He chuckled.

"Oh, I would say a creature from nightmares. My brother is one of the cruelest of us, feared by even our own kind."

"No… No, that is not true, he is not…"

"Yes, he is. You should keep that in mind the next time when you spread your legs for him. He's a monster, we both are."

She was unable to speak; clearly she was more than confused. Kol was very pleased with himself, his brother deserved to lose something. Yes, Nik would have the girl back, if everything would go smoothly, but there was no way she would ever allow him to touch her again.


	23. Chapter 23

Kol was a vampire and according to him, so was Klaus. How was that possible? I had never been so confused in my life, I couldn't understand. Vampires were a myth, monsters from horror stories, they didn't exist. Most of the knowledge I had about vampires was from a book mama had read to me, Dracula by Bram Stoker. After the first chapter, she had doubted if it was suitable for me, but I had begged her to finish it, the story had interested me greatly.

Despite of my best efforts, I couldn't find any similarities between Klaus and Count Dracula. Surely I would have noticed if he would have turned into a bat or something. Blood… I remembered the sting on my neck just before we had… Instinctively I touched my neck, but there was no wound. I couldn't understand, I really couldn't. He had somehow healed me after the poison had damaged my skin, that didn't sound like something a vampire would do. And I was alive, he hadn't drained me.

No, he was a kind man, how could he be this monster? Maybe my knowledge about vampires wasn't accurate; the book could have the facts wrong. Well, I had someone who could answer my questions, although he certainly wasn't a reliable source. I was still sitting on the bed; I had no idea how long I had been quiet. Kol had moved to some kind of chair, his fingers kept tapping something, my guess was a table. I still had no idea where I was, how big the room was and what kind of furniture there were. After a moment of hesitation, I stood up and started to feel the bed, there was a small bedside table next to it.

"What are you doing, darling?" Kol asked.

"I want to see this room," I replied and continued. I felt the wall and a window. Kol didn't say anything, but I could feel him staring at me. He was curious, like I would have been some exotic animal. Strangely I wasn't more afraid of him now after knowing the whole vampire thing. Why would I be, he could hurt me if he wanted to, no matter if he was a man or a monster. Right now it seemed that he wasn't planning to hurt me, he simply wanted to use me against Klaus.

I wanted to ask what was going on between him and Klaus, but I doubted that he would give me an honest answer. But maybe he could give me some information about vampires. I took cautious steps forward and kept feeling the wall, I truly hoped that I would have my cane. I felt a small painting on the wall and a closet. As far as I could tell the room wasn't very big, I almost collided with the chair Kol was sitting on.

"Careful, my pretty," he said and patted my bottom. "If you want to sit on my lap, all you have to do is ask."

I ignored him and felt the table in front of the chair. It seemed to be a desk, there were some papers lying on it. The door was right next to the desk. I stopped in front of it and touched the door handle, but I didn't try to open the door. Now I knew where it was. After finishing my inspection, I returned to the bed.

"Do you mind if I ask you few questions?" I asked.

"No, not at all," Kol replied. "Do you want to know how many people my brother has killed? Thousands and thousands, small children are his favorite prey."

I tried my best to ignore his last comment; I really hoped that wasn't true. What did I remember about Count Dracula…?

"Do you sleep in a coffin?"

"Not willingly," he snorted. "Beds are much more comfortable, especially if you have someone to keep the bed warm for you."

Again I ignored the last part and tried to think.

"Can you change your form into a bat or fog or something?"

"Let me guess," he huffed. "You have read Dracula?"

"My mama read it to me," I muttered.

"That book was full of nonsense," he snorted. "But I did find it a good read and it gave me some interesting ideas."

I definitely didn't want to hear more about that.

"Was any of it accurate? Garlic? Crucifixes?"

"No and no. The strength and speed was right, we are much faster and stronger than humans. And yes, we drink blood."

I was quiet for a moment; I tried to decide how to continue. Despite of the whole situation, I was curious.

"Were you… were you born as a vampire?"

"No."

"So… How did you become a vampire?"

"That's a long story," he huffed. "But let me ask you something, I told you that I am a bloodsucking monster, why are you not afraid? Any smart person would be."

"I suppose I'm not a smart person," I replied. "The thing is that I don't have much chance to defend myself against you, even if you would be just a man, so I don't feel a need to scream or cry."

"Hmm, good point," he stated, he sounded amused. "How does it feel to be so helpless?"

"What do you think?" I snapped. "Who wouldn't enjoy this?"

"Easy now," he chuckled. "It was just a question. Actually I have another one, what did you see in my brother since you couldn't… well, see him. I can't imagine anyone liking him because of his personality."

"Maybe you don't know him as well as you think," I muttered.

"I could say the same to you. But honestly, what was it about him that attracted you?"

"His scent," I blurted out before thinking. "And his kindness. To him I was a woman, not some poor blind girl."

Kol was quiet for a while; his silence gave me time to clear my thoughts. Obviously there were many things Klaus hadn't been honest about, but I wanted to believe that there had been something real between us. I still felt connected to him and I missed his scent, no matter what he was. The thought scared me, what if he really was as bad as Kol had said.

* * *

><p>Klaus paced back and forth in the parlor, he was completely losing it. Where the hell had Stephen taken Viola? The wolf in him was growling furiously, it demanded him to find her. Elijah was sitting on the sofa, silently observing Klaus.<p>

"I need to find her," Klaus stated tensely.

"Alright," Elijah replied calmly, obviously he could see that something was wrong with his brother. "Do you want me to…"

Klaus wasn't listening, he was already storming out. He barely made it to the hallway when he ran into Clarissa Spencer.

"Mr. Mikaelson," she greeted him smiling. "How are you?"

"Busy," Klaus replied tensely and walked past her. Unfortunately she didn't give up, she was right behind him.

"I just wanted to congratulate you for your engagement," she said. "I heard that you will be wed tonight?"

"Yes, that's right."

"How nice… And may I just say that you truly are a gentleman for taking pity of that poor handicapped girl…"

Klaus stopped walking and turned around, he have had enough.

"My bride certainly doesn't need anyone's pity, Miss Spencer, she is smart, kindhearted and the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. I consider myself lucky for having her as my wife and I will most certainly treat her like a queen that she is."

Clarissa looked completely stunned, perhaps even shocked. Klaus gave her a smile and turned around; he had already wasted enough time. He went to the Second Class and knocked the door to the cabin he had arranged for Viola's family. Klaus had to knock few times before Tommy opened the door; he seemed to have a terrible hangover.

"What?" Tommy muttered and rubbed his red eyes. His brother seemed to be asleep, even though it was an afternoon already.

"Have you seen Viola?" Klaus asked.

"Not since yesterday," Tommy replied sleepily.

"What about Stephen?"

Tommy shook his head. "Not since this morning."

Klaus gritted his teeth; he didn't like this at all.

"Let me know immediately if you see them."

"Sure, mate."

Klaus looked everywhere he could think of, but there was no trace of them. Something was wrong, he was sure of it. The wolf sounded desperate, it was howling like it would be in pain.

"_Mine! Give!"_

What do you think I'm trying to do! For the first time in a very long time he felt fear, if something had happened to her… No, he refused to think that, she was probably in the suite by now. He returned there and saw right away that something was wrong, Elijah looked tense to say the least.

"Niklaus… I have some bad news."


	24. Chapter 24

Elijah sighed after Klaus had stormed out; he had a bad feeling about the whole thing. Obviously something was very wrong with his brother and it had something to do with the girl. Niklaus rarely showed much possessiveness towards his lovers, they didn't usually mean anything to him, but this girl seemed to be different. Under different circumstances Elijah would have been nothing except pleased to see his brother showing some affection, some humanity, towards someone, but now he was concerned.

There was more to this than Niklaus was telling him. His brother wasn't simply possessive; he seemed to be obsessed with the girl and in Niklaus' case that could be very dangerous. Elijah didn't know her well, but as far as he could tell she was a sweet young woman, very different than the women his brother had fancied before. Someone like her would no doubt be good for Niklaus, especially when his brother seemed to be so protective of her, but… Elijah closed his eyes and sighed again, he truly hoped that he was mistaken. Perhaps Niklaus simply hadn't felt something like this before and he didn't know how to handle it.

For so long Elijah had feared for his brother losing all that was left of his humanity and truly become the soulless monster he wanted people to think he already was. It had happened to Kol, he had become more and more vicious along the centuries. Elijah felt sadness when he thought about his youngest brother, he regretted for not trying harder to help him. The problem had been that Kol hadn't wanted his help or his pointless sermons as his brother had once put it.

Kol and Niklaus had always been much alike, impulsive, reckless and short-tempered, but in a way Kol was the more dangerous one. He didn't care about the consequences of his actions; his rampage in London was a perfect example for that. Yet Elijah hoped that the person his brother had been all those centuries ago wasn't completely gone.

For a moment Elijah considered should he do something to help Niklaus finding the girl, but he decided against it, surely Niklaus could manage by himself. Besides, Elijah still hadn't fully recovered from babysitting Viola's cousins the whole night. He had trouble to understand how any human could consume that kind of amount of alcohol without passing out. And when they finally had passed out, her father had gone missing. Elijah huffed and picked up his book, he had certainly done enough already.

He made himself comfortable on the armchair and concentrated on reading, but after a while he picked up some unpleasant scent. He knew it all too well, the smell of death. How wonderful… Elijah gritted his teeth while standing up, had Niklaus honestly left a body in their suite? After a brief search, he located the source of the smell. Oh no… He opened the door to the wardrobe room and looked at the trunk. He wouldn't have had to open it in order to know that Kol was gone, but he still did.

The body inside was a dark-haired, normal looking man who had been in his late thirties, he had been dead for several hours. Elijah didn't recognize him and he wasn't dressed like a steward, he was wearing a suit. Who was this man? Quickly Elijah inspected his pockets and found a knife and a small empty bottle. Elijah smelled the bottle and frowned, this must be the man who had attacked Viola and poisoned her clothes. For some reason he had opened the trunk, pulled the dagger out and ended up Kol's dinner.

Elijah rubbed his temples, this wasn't good at all. The ship was big and Kol knew how to stay hidden if he wanted to. Great, just great. Elijah sighed and closed the trunk; he would take care of the body later. He went to the parlor and tried to think. The good thing was that the girl should be safe now, but Kol was on the loose and there was no telling what he might do. Elijah didn't have time to ponder the situation for long when Niklaus returned.

"Niklaus… I have some bad news," Elijah said.

His brother's expression tensed.

"What? Viola…"

"No, no, "Elijah cut in quickly. "This isn't about her."

"What then?" Niklaus snapped tensely.

"Kol," Elijah sighed. "He is gone."

"What?"

Elijah explained the situation briefly, starting with the body in the trunk.

"I found these on the body," Elijah said and handed his brother the knife and the bottle. "He must be the man who attacked Viola."

Niklaus stared at the knife and sniffed the stainless blade.

"Yes, I can smell traces of her blood," he muttered gloomily. "Damn Kol, I would have wanted to kill this bastard myself, I wouldn't have done it so quickly."

Niklaus marched to the wardrobe room and opened the trunk; he stared at the body for a long time.

"I have never seen him," Elijah said, he stayed in the doorway.

"Me neither," Niklaus murmured. "Why would he try to take Viola from me…?"

"Perhaps we have been looking at this from the wrong angle," Elijah stated after a moment of silence. "We have assumed that this person is your enemy, we haven't considered the possibility that Viola could have enemies as well."

"That's absurd," Niklaus snorted. "She doesn't have enemies, how could she have!"

"Alright, how about her father?"

Niklaus pressed his lips together.

"That's possible," he muttered. "I will have him to take a look at the body."

Suddenly he seemed to realize something.

"Have they been here when I was gone?"

Elijah shook his head. "No."

"Damn it…"

Niklaus marched past Elijah and headed to the door.

"What about Kol?" Elijah asked.

"I don't have time to play hide and seek with him now!" Niklaus snapped. "I have a father-in-law to find and strangle!"

* * *

><p>"Oh, I don't know," Kol hummed smirking. "What will you give me in exchange for that information?"<p>

Viola looked desperate; she was on the brink of tears. She had suddenly remembered hearing her father's voice before Kol had taken her, he imagined that she felt terrible for not remembering it sooner. She had asked him all kinds of silly questions; he honestly couldn't understand why she wasn't more afraid. Well, she hadn't been, but she suddenly was afraid now.

"Please," she pleaded. "Is he…alive?"

"Maybe," Kol replied casually. "Maybe not."

Viola clenched her fists; she tried very hard to look calm.

"What do you want?" she asked tensely.

Kol smiled, this was more of his liking.

"What are you offering me, darling?"

She hesitated, her desperation was growing. It was strange how much she still cared for her father after he had gambled her away.

"Come on," he huffed. "You should thank me if I killed him; he lost you in a card game."

"That doesn't matter!" she snapped. "He is my father!"

"So what?" Kol snorted. "Who needs bad fathers? I certainly wouldn't mind if my father would drop dead."

She was quiet for a while before replying.

"Klaus told me about your father."

Kol raised his eyebrows.

"Did he now? I doubt that he told you everything."

"He told me enough," she muttered. "I am sorry."

Kol's eyes narrowed.

"For what?" he asked sharply.

"If he hurt you like he hurt Klaus."

"Ah yes, poor mistreated Niklaus… My heart just bleeds for him."

Kol had never understood Elijah's need to coddle Nik because their father had been mean to him. So what, Mikael hadn't been exactly a caring father for any of them.

"Why do you hate your brother so much?" Viola asked.

"Well, let me think… He have stabbed me in the heart more than once and left me rot in a coffin, sometimes for decades."

"Why?"

Kol chuckled humorlessly.

"Because he thinks he has the right to control everyone else, including his family. Can you imagine how it feels like to be stabbed in the heart and feel your body shutting down?"

"No," she replied quietly. "I don't think that I can, but I do know how it feels to be almost beaten to death."

Kol raised his eyebrows.

"Really? By who? Your father?"

She shook her head. "No, by the person who made me blind."

She looked surprisingly calm when she stood up and walked over to him. He didn't move when she placed her palm on his shoulder.

"Please tell me is my father still alive."

He could see the distress on her face and he could have easily used that to toy with her, but for some incomprehensible reason, he didn't do that.

"Yes, he's fine," he huffed carelessly.

She didn't seem to know if she should believe him.

"He's fine," he repeated. "I would tell you if he wouldn't be; what would be the fun for not telling you?"

"Thank you," she sighed, she looked beyond relieved. "Where is he?"

"That's something you don't need to know," he huffed. "He will soon deliver a little message for my brother."

"A message?"

"That's right. He will have to choose between stabbing me in the heart again and getting you back. Hopefully he will choose you."

She didn't say anything, she looked confused. Kol observed her thoughtfully, she was a strange human. For a moment he almost hoped that Nik wouldn't want her back, he would have no problem keeping her for himself. Would she want to go back to Nik after everything she had heard was another thing, but Kol doubted that Nik would care about what she wanted. Kol couldn't help but to feel bitterness, she should have been his, but once again he would end up empty-handed.


	25. Chapter 25

"_Find her! Find her! Find her!"_

Klaus gritted his teeth; the wolf was driving him crazy. It was desperate and terrified of losing its "mate" as it called Viola. Klaus' own fear and anxiety was also increasing by every passing minute, where was she? He had searched the First Class deck, the Second class deck and the Third Class deck, the First Class Lounge, the Third Class General Room, her old Third Class cabin and every possible place he could think of. Stephen was hiding her from him, he was sure of it. The thought made Klaus furious, he would certainly make Stephen pay.

The damn human had a lot of nerve to play a caring father after what he had done to Viola, lost her to Kol… Suddenly Klaus realized something. What if Viola and her father had ran into Kol? No… No, no, no! How the hell hadn't he thought of it before? His only thought had been to find Viola; his brother had been the last thing on his mind. If Kol had hurt her… The wolf was growling furiously, it wanted to tear he whole ship apart in order to find her. No, he needed to calm down, he needed to think. It was possible that Kol had nothing to do with this, Stephen could be hiding her, but he still needed to find her and fast. Why did the damn ship have to be so big…

"Excuse me, Mr. Mikaelson," a steward said, Klaus had been too distracted to notice him.

"What?" Klaus snapped tensely, making the steward to take a step back.

"I… The captain would like to know when you wish him to perform the marriage ceremony. He didn't see you and your fiancée at dinner, so…"

"Tomorrow," Klaus cut in and marched past the confused looking steward. He had forgotten the whole wedding, as ironic as that was. The ceremony itself was completely meaningless to him, just a piece of paper, but it was important to Viola. He has had every intention to wed her tonight, but there were things they needed to talk about first, she has had plenty of questions few hours ago.

Klaus wasn't completely sure how much he would have told her, but definitely not the whole truth, not before he would be sure that she could handle it. The truth was that he didn't want to take any chances; he wanted her to be bind to him first, as low as it was. He simply couldn't let her go, but the thought of keeping her prisoner didn't sound good either. Not that it mattered now; he needed to find her first.

* * *

><p>"Do you understand?" Kol asked.<p>

Stephen nodded.

"Yes."

Despite of the compulsion, Stephen looked distressed.

"Please… Don't hurt my daughter…"

"That depends on my brother, save your pleas for him," Kol interrupted him coolly. "Make sure that he'll get my message."

Stephen nodded and left. Kol sighed and headed back to the Chief Officer's cabin, he needed to prepare Viola. One of the stewards had brought some clothes for her; Kol couldn't take her to the deck when she was only wearing the bathrobe. She was calmly sitting on the bed, he had chained her, but this time he hadn't gagged her, she had asked him not to. He truly was a damn fool.

She was nothing except a useful tool; there was no doubt that Nik would want her back. Kol stopped in the doorway and simply looked at her for a moment; there was something annoyingly fascinating about this human girl. He had never met anyone like her; she could have offered him plenty of entertainment. Yes, could have if things would have gone the way they were supposed to go. He couldn't help but wonder how things would have turned out without Nik's intrusion.

Obviously Kol would have found her and her father and probably toyed with them before taking the girl with him. He wouldn't have killed Stephen, no, that would have been a merciful thing to do. Leaving him to suffer for the rest of his life, knowing that he had given his daughter to someone like Kol would have been much more fun.

And what would he have done to her? He wasn't completely sure, but he would have loved to find out. The loyalty she showed to his brother could have and should have been his. Kol almost huffed at his own foolishness, deep down he knew what this was about. He hated the idea of Nik getting something that belonged to him. He clenched his fists and forced himself to calm down and think clearly, this had to be done.

"It's time, darling," he said and walked over to the bed. She waited patiently when he unchained her.

"Thank you," she said and rubbed the bruises on her wrist. "What will happen now? You said you will trade me for this dagger?"

"That's right." He paused and sat down beside her. "There's something we need to do first."

"What's that?" she asked cautiously.

He bit his wrist and raised it in front of her face. "Open your mouth, darling."

"Why?"

"Just do it," he huffed. "This won't hurt."

She blinked her dark green eyes few times before cautiously parting her lips. He grabbed her chin and put his wrist onto her mouth, making her to gasp. Despite of her gagging, she swallowed at least few drops of his blood, her wrists were healing.

"What do you think you are doing?" she snapped after he allowed her to push his wrist away.

"You're welcome," he replied grinning.

"What…"

"Feel your wrists. Go on."

She looked confused, but she obeyed.

"Vampire's blood can heal," he explained.

She was quiet for a moment and bit her bottom lip; she was concentrated on processing his words.

"That explains a lot…" she muttered thoughtfully. "Oh and thank you."

He smiled and ran his thumb over her chin, wiping some blood off.

"Well, now my brother can't say that I would have damaged his shiny new toy."

Her eyebrows furrowed, but she didn't seem offended.

"I hope you and Klaus can resolve your differences," she stated quietly. "You are brothers, surely that means something."

"It doesn't," Kol huffed. "At least not to him. Here, you need to get dressed, darling; it's cold on the deck."

"On the deck?" she repeated when he placed a pair of knickers, a petticoat, a dress, a pair of stockings and a sweater on her lap.

"Yes, get dressed."

She felt the clothes very carefully, like she would have been afraid of something.

"Where did you get these?" she asked.

"Why do you ask?"

She hesitated a moment before answering.

"I…someone poisoned my clothes last night and… I would prefer not to experience that again."

Kol raised his eyebrows.

"What?"

She sighed. "The poison was inside my nightgown and according to Klaus there was more of it in my other clothes, so I would really appreciate if you could tell me where you got these."

Kol took the clothes from her and inspected them carefully, he couldn't smell anything.

"These are fine," he said and placed the clothes back on her lap. "Who was this poisoner?"

Viola shook her head. "I don't know, he wanted me to stay away from Klaus."

Kol clicked his tongue. "Hmm, that's typical for my brother; he taints everything that he touches."

"That's not true," Viola argued. Kol rolled his eyes; he couldn't believe that she was still defending Nik after everything she had heard.

"Sure, darling, keep your fantasies if that makes you happy," he snorted. "Now get dressed."

"Could you wait outside?" she asked while standing up.

He leaned back on the bed and grinned.

"No, but I promise not to look."

Right, sure. He was definitely going to watch; he earned at least that much. She pressed her lips together, but didn't argue, instead she moved next to the closet, apparently trying to find some cover. Silently he got up and moved in front of the desk in order to get a better view. Her back was turned the whole time, but he still enjoyed the show. Was it ungentlemanly and childish, yes, but who cared, he could have done something much worse to her. After she was finished, he wrapped his arm around hers and led her to the door. Her body felt rigid and her steps were insecure, she was probably afraid that she would fall down or something.

"Relax," he said.

"It's easy for you to say," she muttered. "Try to walk in a strange place with your eyes closed."

"Fine," he sighed and lifted her into his arms. "Better?"

"No," she replied tensely. "Put me down."

"I don't think so, this is much faster."

She didn't look pleased at all when he started to carry her towards the deck; they needed to be there before Nik. This part of the deck was meant only for the crew and the stewards Kol had compelled had made sure that there was no one there. The night was very cold and the sky was bright, Viola shivered when Kol stepped on the deck. He marched in front of the railing and put her down. They were both quiet, he could easily see how nervous she was. They didn't have to wait for long when Nik arrived. It only took Kol a fraction of a second to lift Viola over the railing; his grip was the only thing that kept her from falling into freezing water. She gasped in shock and tried desperately to take a hold on something, her legs were wiggling in the air. The sight made Nik froze, judging by the little glimpse of terror in his eyes, Kol had definitely chosen a perfect leverage.

"That's close enough, brother," Kol said warningly, Nik had stopped few steps away from them, his expression was furious.

"Kol," he snarled. "Give her to me right now and maybe I won't sink you at the bottom of sea."

"That's your idea of negotiating?" Kol snorted. "I don't think so."

"Kol, please," Viola pleaded desperately, she was terrified. Nik's eyes darkened and he let out a furious growl, for a moment Kol could have swore that he saw a glimpse of yellow in his eyes.

"Give her to me!"

"Did you bring the dagger?" Kol asked harshly. Nik didn't reply, he was staring at Viola very strangely. Finally he took the dagger from his pocket.

"Toss it overboard or I will toss her overboard," Kol demanded.

"Do that and you will beg for death," Nik snarled.

"Yeah, yeah," Kol huffed. "Toss it overboard."

Nik didn't move, his expression would have made anyone else to run for his life. Viola was shaking; tears were coursing down her cheeks.

"Klaus…"

Nik's face went blank; he squished the dagger before tossing it over the railing. Kol had to admit that he was surprised; apparently his brother really wanted this girl. The thought made Kol grin, after all these years his brother finally had a real weakness. That was just…

"Kol!" Nik suddenly shouted, he was looking at something behind Kol's back. Kol frowned and caught a glimpse of an iceberg. The next thing he heard was a terrible crash; the ship had just collided with it. The force of the impact made Kol to lose his balance and let go of Viola. She screamed as she fell.


	26. Chapter 26

When Klaus saw his brother letting go of Viola, the rest of the world ceased to exist. There was nothing except her, his Viola. She was everything, he couldn't lose her. The wolf couldn't lose her, it was howling like crazy inside his head. He had never moved so fast, he zoomed to the railing in a fraction of a second and jumped after her. She was still screaming when he got the hold of her hand, her body hit against the side of the ship. The moment seemed to last forever, but they never reached the water, someone had grabbed him by the leg. Klaus was hanging upside down, squishing Viola's hand tightly. She was obviously in shock, she was shaking and sobbing. The fall was long and the water looked black, the waves were hitting against the ship. Viola managed to raise her other hand and took a hold of Klaus' wrist, she was squishing it desperately.

"It's alright, sweetheart," he said as calmingly as he could. "It's alright."

Someone was effortlessly pulling them both up; Klaus' feet touched the deck before he recognized this someone as Elijah. He gave his brother a brief nod and concentrated on Viola, carefully he lifted her over the railing. Her legs couldn't hold her, so he helped her to sit down on the deck and wrapped his arms tightly around her.

"It's alright," he muttered and stroked her hair. "You are safe now, love."

Her whole body was trembling; she buried her face in his shoulder.

"Are you hurt?" he asked, trying his best to sound calm, although he was furious. He didn't get any reply, so he pulled away and looked at her. "Are you hurt?" he repeated and cupped her face. Tears were still coursing down her cheeks, clearly she was very upset. Kol…

"_Kill him!"_ the wolf growled. _"He hurt my mate!"_

Soon. Now shut up.

"Viola? Please talk to me, love."

She opened her mouth, but it took a moment before anything came out.

"I…I'm fine," she muttered with a shaky voice.

"Are you sure?" he questioned and observed her intently. Carefully he removed her sweater in order to examine her arms, obviously she had some bruises, but nothing seemed to be broken or dislocated. He pressed his lips together, he wasn't finished.

"_Kill!"_ the wolf demanded.

His eyes scanned her body; he needed to know did she have more injuries. The worst case scenario cut him like a knife; unfortunately he knew how twisted Kol could be, especially if his brother had found out that she meant something to Klaus. He took a hold of the hem of her dress and started to pull it up in order to see her thighs. That certainly snapped her out of it.

"Stop!" she cried out and tried to push his hand away. "What are you doing?"

"It's alright; let me take a look…"

"No!" she snapped. "Not without my permission."

His eyes darkened, if Kol had touched her…

"I'm not going to hurt you, love; I only want to see are you injured."

"You could ask," she muttered quietly.

"Yes, yes, of course," he replied and touched her shoulder. "Please tell me are you injured."

She shook her head.

"No, your brother didn't hurt me."

They were both quiet for a moment, Klaus tried to interpret her surprisingly calm tone of voice. She knew that Kol was his brother, what else did she know?

"Listen, sweetheart, whatever Kol said to you…"

"He told me what you are," she interrupted him firmly.

Klaus clenched his fists, when he would get his hands on his brother…

"What would that be?" he asked, trying to sound casual.

She swallowed before answering.

"A vampire."

Damn Kol, he would certainly pay. Klaus really didn't know what to say, but at least she didn't look scared. There was no point denying everything, she would know the truth sooner or later. He would have preferred later.

"What do you think about that?" he finally managed to ask.

She sighed.

"I'm not sure. I mean… You just saved my life, again, and I'm very grateful, but… I am not sure if I can…"

"Nothing has changed," Klaus cut in, he certainly didn't want to hear the rest of her sentence. "We can work this out."

"It's not that simple," she said quietly. "You lied to me, again. How do you expect me to trust you?"

"No, I didn't lie; I just didn't tell you some things."

"Some pretty important things," she pointed out sharply. "Would you have wed me without telling me those things?"

Klaus gritted his teeth; his anger towards his brother was rising.

"I would have told you, I just… didn't want to scare you. I can't and won't lose you."

She was quiet for a while; he couldn't see what was going on inside her head.

"I need some time to think about this," she finally said. "Could you please take me to my father?"

No… No, no, no!

"_Don't let her go! She can't go!"_

Klaus didn't have time to reply when Elijah returned; Klaus hadn't even noticed that he had left.

"The ship seems to be fine, but I think I need to make sure," Elijah stated.

Klaus frowned.

"What?"

Elijah rolled his eyes.

"In case you didn't notice, we just rammed an iceberg."

Klaus had honestly forgotten the whole thing; he had more important things on mind. Besides, the collision hadn't been that bad and this ship should be unsinkable.

"Are people panicking?" he asked carelessly.

Elijah shook his head.

"No, quite the opposite, they are playing with lumps of ice."

"And Kol? Did you see him?"

"No, I didn't," Elijah replied callously.

"Well, no matter, I will find him."

Elijah's expression tensed, he could read Klaus well enough to know how furious he was.

"Klaus," Viola said quietly, her hand was insecurely touching his arm. "He's your brother, don't hurt him."

Klaus' eyes narrowed when he looked at her.

"He kidnapped you and threw you overboard."

"Not intentionally. Please, just leave him be."

Elijah was clearly surprised, he looked at Viola curiously. Klaus on the other hand felt something very nasty building up inside of him.

"You like my brother?" he asked, keeping his tone casual.

Viola hesitated, that was more than enough for Klaus.

"I don't know about liking him, but I suppose I can in some level understand him."

Klaus felt like his blood would have suddenly turned into ice, something very dark was taking over. He had never felt that kind of murderous rage before, not even towards Katerina. Viola was his, she belonged only to him.

"_Kill! Kill! Kill!"_

He smiled while touching her cheek, not even Elijah couldn't see what he was thinking.

"Let's get you inside, sweetheart," he said and helped her to her feet. She still had some trouble to stand, so he lifted her into his arms. "Your father is waiting at the suite, Elijah will take you there."

"What?" Elijah and Viola asked simultaneously.

Klaus marched in front of Elijah and placed Viola into his arms.

"I will find some crew member who can tell how badly the ship is damaged," Klaus stated. "Take Viola to the suite and stay with her."

Elijah's eyebrows furrowed.

"Niklaus…"

Klaus cupped Viola's face and kissed her, she seemed confused.

"Nothing has changed," he stated firmly. "I will hear no more about it."

She didn't say anything, although she obviously wanted to. The wolf demanded retaliation; he couldn't control its rage. He didn't want to control it.


	27. Chapter 27

"You really don't have to carry me," I muttered after an awkward silence. Elijah hadn't said anything, but I could tell how tense he was. He was walking very fast and his arms felt rigid. I had no idea which part of the ship we were and I would have been completely lost if he would have left me. I couldn't believe that Klaus had simply handed me to his brother and left like that. "Your arms must be getting tired…"

"No, not at all," he replied.

"Are you sure? I can tell that you are uncomfortable," I blurted out.

He was quiet for few seconds, his pace was slowing down.

"I apologize," he sighed. "I can assure you that my…discomfort have nothing to do with carrying you."

I tried to decide how to continue, I was very confused. What was I supposed to say to Klaus' brother now when I knew about Klaus being a vampire? Suddenly it occurred to me that if Kol was like him, Elijah was probably too.

"Are you also a vampire?" I asked without thinking.

He stopped walking, for as moment I was afraid that I had made a mistake. Maybe he had seemed like a nice man before, but I really didn't know him.

"Yes," he replied tensely.

"Oh… Alright then." That sounded stupid, but I really didn't know what else to say. Well, definitely not the thing I blurted out next. "How is that working out for you?"

He was quiet for several seconds before bursting into laughter.

"Forgive me," he chuckled. "I am not laughing at you, but I must say that was the strangest thing anyone has ever asked me."

"I'm sorry," I muttered, I felt the flush rising in my cheeks. "I have a bad habit of speaking before thinking."

"No, no, it's fine," he assured and paused before continuing. "You don't seem scared."

It sounded more like a question than an observation, he was curious.

"Should I be?" I asked.

"No," he replied immediately. "That's not what I meant, I was merely wondering…"

He didn't finish his sentence; I could feel him looking at me.

"You are a peculiar young lady, Miss Clayton."

I really couldn't tell if he meant that as a compliment, all I could pick up of his tone of voice was amusement.

"You can call me Viola," I muttered. Why not, he had almost become my brother-in-law. The whole thought felt unreal now, I had no idea what would happen between me and Klaus.

"What is troubling you?" Elijah asked.

"Everything," I sighed tiredly, all that had happened today was starting to take its toll. "I don't know what to do. After Kol told me… I don't know. A part of me hopes that I would have never met Klaus."

I definitely hadn't meant to say that out loud, but it was too late to take it back. It was the truth. What Klaus and I had shared was incredible, but I felt that I really didn't know him at all and a part of me was afraid to get to know the real him. What if he was the kind of monster Kol had said he was? How could I bind myself to him?

"What did Kol tell you?" Elijah asked calmly.

"Not much, just that Klaus is feared even by the other vampires. That he's…a monster."

Elijah didn't say anything, but he placed me on the floor and gently pushed my back against the wall.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he said calmingly before I managed to say anything. "I believe there are few things you should see."

I frowned, was this supposed to be a joke? It wasn't funny. I startled when his fingers suddenly touched my temples.

"Try to relax, I am not completely sure if this will work," he said. "I have never tried this with a blind person."

"What…"

I gasped when the strange images suddenly filled my head. These images told me a story of a family. Klaus' family. The little boy… I had seen him before when Klaus had healed me. The man hurting the boy… Those had been Klaus' memories. The images were getting more violent; they brought tears to my eyes. The clothes, the swords… How old was Klaus?

"_Henrik! No! Mother! Mother help!"_

Tears were coursing down my cheeks when I saw Klaus carrying a body of a young boy, his little brother. His pain hurt me so much that I didn't even care that for the first time I could see what he looked like. Or had looked like a long time ago. The rest of the story was tragic, the spell, the wine, the man killing his own children. The chaos, the confusion, Klaus turning into a wolf… The man had known that Klaus wasn't his son.

"_Father! Please!"_

"Stop," I pleaded, I was trembling. "Please, I can't…"

The images were gone before I managed to finish my sentence; I took a hold of the first part of Elijah within my reach, his arm, and started to sob.

"Viola?" he said and placed his palm on my shoulder. "Forgive me, this was not my intention."

I struggled for regaining my self-control; I was embarrassed by my own reaction.

"I need a moment, please," I muttered and squished his arm in order to being able to stand, my legs were shaking. I was probably hurting him, but he didn't complain, he simply held still like a statue. After I started to calm down, he placed something in my hand, it was a handkerchief.

"Thank you," I managed to say.

"You're welcome."

He waited patiently when I dried my eyes, I probably looked terrible.

"I am so sorry," I said quietly. "Those things you have been through… I can't even imagine…"

"Thank you," he replied, his voice held no emotion. "I really didn't mean to upset you like this, I only wanted to help you to see things from my brothers perspective."

I nodded.

"I understand. May I ask why? I mean why do you care what happens between me and Klaus?"

He was quiet for a while before replying.

"It's…complicated. I wish to see my brother happy, but I also don't want him to lose himself. He cares about you and that hadn't happened for a very long time. The last thing I want is to pressure you, but I am asking you not to give up on him."

I took a moment to think about his words; clearly he really cared about his brother. Maybe their family was everything but ordinary, but they were still a family.

"Thank you for your honesty," I said. "There are things Klaus and I need to talk about and I don't know what will happen, but I promise to keep an open mind."

"Thank you," he said and touched my shoulder. "I appreciate that."

He asked my permission before lifting me up again, I could have walked, but he seemed to be in a hurry.

"Viola!" papa's voice cried out as soon as Elijah opened the door to the suite. "My little girl…"

Papa wrapped his arms around me when Elijah placed me on the floor; the hug was so tight that it hurt a little. He was crying, his tears were soaking into my hair.

"Please don't cry, papa," I muttered.

"My poor, poor child," he sobbed. "I'm so sorry, can you ever forgive me?"

"What do you mean?"

He pulled away and cupped my face.

"Did that demon hurt you?"

"No, I'm fine."

Elijah cleared his throat.

"Excuse me, Stephen, can you stay with her? I need to take care of something."

"Of course I'll stay with her," papa snapped, quite rudely. "I'll look after my child."

"Good. Stay here, I will be right back."

Papa waited until Elijah had left before grabbing my arm.

"Don't worry, sweetheart, I will fix this, I promise. I won't let those demons to hurt you."

"It's alright, papa," I said calmingly. "I'm fine."

"None of this should have happened…" he murmured. "I should have protected you."

He was too upset to listen what I had to say, the day had been rough to him as well. I touched his arm and tried to calm him down, but I couldn't.

"We're leaving," he said and started to drag me towards the door. "I won't let them touch you, I swear."

"Wait," I protested and tried to make him stop. "We don't have to leave, we are safe here, Klaus wouldn't…"

"He's that other demon's brother," papa snapped. "He's going to force you to marry him."

"No, no, it wasn't like that…"

"They can tamper with our minds, I have seen it," papa said firmly. "I must protect you from him, from all of them."

My protests were useless; I couldn't get through to papa. I understood how upset he was, so I didn't struggle when he dragged me to the hallway. He needed a moment to calm down; then we could talk about this rationally.


	28. Chapter 28

Klaus was determined to find his brother, no matter what it would take. His rage had blinded him, Kol needed to pay. He had no idea how long he had searched, but he had no intention of giving up. It didn't matter that he didn't have the dagger; he had other ways to make his brother to suffer. He was marching across a long hallway when few people who were wearing life vests passed him. What…

"Why are you wearing those?" he asked.

One of them, an elderly man, turned to look at him.

"Captain's order, we must all go on the deck."

Klaus frowned.

"Why?"

"I am not sure," the man replied. "There seems to be something wrong with the ship."

Klaus froze, the iceberg… Oh no. The collision hadn't seemed that bad, but apparently it had been. Shit, shit, shit! He headed straight to the suite and ran into a steward.

"You," he said. "How badly is the ship damaged?"

The steward had an awful fake smile on his face.

"There's no need to panic, sir, please wear a life vest and go to the deck…"

Klaus grabbed him by the neck and pushed him against the wall.

"The truth," he demanded, using compulsion. The steward started to sob.

"The ship is sinking and there aren't enough lifeboats for nearly everyone. May God help us all."

For a moment Klaus was unable to speak, was this honestly happening?

"How long do we have?"

"Maybe an hour."

Klaus didn't hesitate for a second; he used his vampire speed to get to the suite. It made no difference if someone would see him; he needed to get Viola into a lifeboat. He cursed himself for giving into his rage, he should have find out sooner if the ship was damaged. Unsinkable ship, there was no such thing, he should have known that. When he reached the suite, he saw that there was no one there. Elijah had probably taken Viola to the deck already. Klaus was just about to zoom there when he heard something.

"_Help me."_

He frowned, what had that been?

"_Please help me."_

The voice was coming from inside his head, but it wasn't the wolf. It was Viola. She was dying.

* * *

><p>Clarissa was looking at her reflection in the mirror while brushing her hair, she was very pleased. Niklaus Mikaelson and his whore hadn't attended the dinner and they hadn't been wed this evening. Almost everyone had been talking about it and speculated what had happened. Apparently he had finally come to his senses. Well, better late than never. Clarissa would have given almost anything to be there and see the little bitch's face when he had left her and sent her back to the gutter where she belonged.<p>

What man would ever want to marry someone like her? Surely she would have a great future ahead of her in New York; there were plenty of brothels there. That was all the little whore was good for. The thought made Clarissa's smile grew wider; things were like they were supposed to be again. She was in an excellent mood and surely she would sleep like a baby tonight. Tomorrow morning she would find Niklaus Mikaelson and remind him what it was like to socialize with a lady. If he would really crawl, she might give him a chance to court her.

Yes, everything was like it was supposed to be again. The only inconvenience was that Lewis seemed to be missing, but that didn't really matter, there were always people ready to do Clarissa's dirty work. She heard knocking, but she didn't pay much attention to it, she was already in her room, getting ready to go to bed. Apparently her father opened the door, she heard him quietly talking with someone for a moment. Then she heard her mother's voice.

"What? To the deck? In this hour? Charles!"

"Get dressed, Henrietta," her father said firmly and knocked Clarissa's door. "Clarissa?"

He opened the door before she managed to reply, he had never done such a thing. Clarissa's eyebrows furrowed and she was about to snap at him, but he spoke first.

"Get dressed; we must go to the deck."

"What? Why?"

He looked more than tense, obviously this was something serious.

"The ship…rammed an iceberg; the captain has ordered everyone on the deck."

"What?" Clarissa snapped and stood up. "Is the ship sinking?"

"I don't know," her father replied and handed her a life vest. "Wear this."

Clarissa looked at the ugly thing disbelievingly, how was this possible? This ship was supposed to be unsinkable!

"Charles!" Henrietta called out. "I do not have anything to wear! Do something; surely they cannot force us outside in this hour!"

Her father sighed and went to help her mother. Clarissa didn't hesitate; she got dressed quickly and took her most valuable jewelries and the gun with her. Her parents were far from ready, but she had no intention to wait for them. If the ship was indeed sinking, she would be on the first lifeboat.

"I'm going to the deck!" she said and marched out without caring about her mother's protests. Determinedly she walked across the hallway, the stewards were knocking doors, but they didn't seem to be panicking. Then she spotted the little servant brat and her father standing on the hallway, a steward had just handed them life vests.

"It's alright, sweetheart," Stephen said and helped his daughter to wear the life vest. "It's probably nothing serious, but we better go to the deck just in case."

"No, no, we have to go back to the suite, I can't leave Klaus. He doesn't know where we are, he is going to look for us. And what about Tommy and Billy?"

"They are big boys; they can take care of themselves. We're going to the deck."

"But Klaus…"

"Alright, alright, just let me take you to the deck and then I'll find Klaus, I promise."

The servant brat hesitated before nodding.

"Alright."

Clarissa's eyes darkened when she looked at them, all she felt was rage. That little whore didn't deserve to live and she certainly didn't deserve to have a man like Niklaus Mikaelson. Clarissa's feet were moving automatically, she picked up a life vest that was lying on the floor. She had never hated anyone so much in her life, she wanted her to die. That was the only thought in her mind when she followed them to the smaller staircase, she couldn't think clearly anymore. Fortunately the staircase was empty. Perfect. She needed to act fast, although she would have loved to enjoy this moment.

"Hello," she said smiling. Stephen's eyes widened when he turned to look at her.

"You," he hissed.

"That's right, me."

Obviously the servant brat recognized her voice, but she didn't have time to do anything when Clarissa picked up the gun and aimed at Stephen's chest.

"Say bye bye to your father, whore."

Clarissa used the life vest to muffle the sound of the gunshot; Stephen looked completely shocked when the bullet hit his chest.

"No!" the servant brat shouted desperately when her father fell down, but Clarissa shot her before anyone heard her. She fell on the floor next to her father. Clarissa had never felt so good, she wanted to laugh. She didn't bother to even try hiding the bodies; she simply stepped over them and headed to the deck. Funny, she had just killed two people. Perhaps that should have made her to feel something, but it really didn't. No, actually that wasn't true, she did feel something. She felt triumphant. She had won.


	29. Chapter 29

"How dare you!" Henrietta shouted at the Chief Officer who was in charge of guiding passengers into the First Class lifeboats. "Do you know who my husband is?"

"My apologies, madam, women and children only," the Chief Officer replied firmly.

Charles looked at the lifeboat that was barely half full of the First Class women who certainly didn't look pleased.

"I will demand my money back," an elderly lady complained. "This is very unpleasant."

Clarissa was already in the lifeboat, she seemed impatient. Henrietta was still shouting at the Chief Officer. The ship was sinking. The thought should have probably scared Charles, but it really didn't. As strange as it was, the situation had made him realize that he wasn't afraid of death. How could he be afraid when he hadn't been alive after Miriam had died? He might have as well died with her.

"Henrietta," he said firmly. "Get into the boat."

As usual, she wasn't listening to him, not before he did something he had never done during their marriage. He made her to listen.

"Get into the bloody boat, woman!"

She stared at him with her mouth open, she looked shocked.

"Charles…"

"Not another word," he snapped. "For 20 years I have listened to your endless whining, but no more. I am done listening to you." He paused and glanced at Clarissa who looked stunned. "Both of you."

For once Henrietta was actually speechless. Well, there was the first time for everything.

"Good luck. Something tells me that you will need it even more than I do."

With that Charles turned around and walked away. He felt free, like a huge burden would have been lifted off his shoulders.

"I'm coming, Miriam," he muttered and headed to the Smoke Room. He wanted to have a drink before dying.

* * *

><p>"Stay back!" the First Officer demanded. "Only women and children into the lifeboats!"<p>

"Like hell!" Billy snapped. "It's every man for himself!"

"Yeah!" the other men yelled and tried to get past the First Officer and the stewards. Things were about to get nasty.

"Billy!" Tommy shouted, but his brother wasn't listening. There weren't many lifeboats left and people were becoming desperate. From the corner of his eye Tommy saw a young woman who had two small children in her arms. Tommy certainly didn't think of himself as some kind of hero or even a good man, but he did have a little sense of decency. He needed to calm his brother down before… Unfortunately he didn't even have time to finish his thought when The First Officer picked up a gun out of his jacket pocket and shot one of the men.

"You will stay back!"

"Billy!" Tommy shouted again. "Enough!"

Tommy marched to his brother and grabbed his arm. "Enough!"

"I don't want to die!" Billy shouted.

"Me neither!" Tommy shouted back. "But better us than them!"

Tommy grabbed his brother's chin and forced him to look at the woman and her children.

"Do you honestly want to take their place in a lifeboat?"

Billy's expression tensed, he didn't say anything.

"Come on," Tommy said more calmly and placed his palm on Billy's shoulder. "We don't have much time left, but if it's our time to go then I say we go Faraday style, just like our proud ancestors before us."

"Drunk as hell?" Billy muttered.

"Damn straight. Come on, I'm in the mood for some fancy First Class liquors."

* * *

><p>I hadn't been afraid of the dark after losing my sight, but now I was terrified. I wasn't sure if I was dead or alive, I couldn't feel anything and I couldn't move any part of my body. No, no, please… I was paralyzed. The realization would have made me cry, but I couldn't do even that. All I could feel was that someone was dragging me.<p>

"Put the bodies there," a male voice said. "We don't need any more panic."

"But someone shot them…"

"The damn ship is sinking! We need to retain order if we don't want everyone to drown! These people are dead, there's nothing we can do for them!"

These people? Papa! No! I struggled as hard as I could, but I couldn't move. Someone placed me on the floor, quite gently considering that I was dead. Was I dead? Was papa dead? I had never felt such desperation. The voices were gone; there was nothing left except silence. And of course the darkness, it was always there. I could have never imagined anything worse than this.

Was this Hell? I felt a tear rolling down my cheek, but despite of my hardest efforts, I couldn't even move a finger. The time had seemed to stop, I had no idea how long I had lied here. Clarissa… Why had she done this, why? Papa had never done anything to her. More tears were coursing down my cheeks. Help me. Please help me. I could only hope that God would hear my silent pleas.

"_Hold on, I'm coming!"_

What? I had heard that voice before when Klaus had healed me. The voice was barely more than an animalistic growl, but it made me feel safe. It made me feel loved. I was so, so tired.

"_Mine! Don't die! Fight! Fight for me!"_

I really wanted to, but I didn't have much strength left. The darkness was becoming deeper, like a hole that was about to swallow me. There was no time or place, I was fading away.

"Viola!"

I started to cough when the familiar liquid filled my mouth, someone was holding me.

"Viola? Sweetheart?"

"Papa…" I muttered weakly. "Please help papa…"

"Yes, I will, hold on."

I was placed gently on the floor again, my fingers were moving. So were my arms and legs. Slowly I started to become aware of my surroundings and I managed to get into a sitting position.

"Damn it…" Klaus' voice muttered.

"What?" I asked. "What is happening?"

He was quiet for a while; I could tell that something was wrong. No…

"Klaus please tell me that papa is alright," I pleaded desperately. "You…you can heal him, right?"

"Viola…" he started and moved next to me. "I gave your father my blood, but… It was too late."

No… He wrapped his arm tightly around me when I started to shake, my mind refused to believe this.

"No, no, wait," he continued quickly. "There was still a sparkle of life in him when I gave him my blood, so it's possible that he will become…like me. If that is what you want."

"What? I…I…"

All of this was too much, my mind couldn't handle it.

"You mean… he would become a vampire?"

"Yes. Do you want that to happen?"

My mouth floundered open and closed, what was I supposed to say? I didn't know enough about vampires to form any rational thoughts. Would papa feel pain? Would he still be the same person? Would he still be my father? Not that it mattered, he would become a vampire and there was nothing I could do to stop that. Why had Klaus asked did I want this?

"What choice do I have?" I muttered, I felt completely numb. Klaus didn't reply, he simply held me.

"Who did this?" he asked, he sounded very calm.

I let out a sob.

"Clarissa. I can't understand why, wasn't making me blind enough?"

"What? Clarissa? Clarissa Spencer?"

I nodded. "Yes. I would recognize her voice anywhere."

"She made you blind?"

Klaus' voice was still very calm, but I was too upset to pay much attention to it.

"Yes. I told you my mama was a maid; she worked for Clarissa's family."

It didn't occur to me to ask how he knew Clarissa's last name; I had too many other things on my mind. I freed myself from his tight embrace and felt the floor around me.

"Where's papa?"

Klaus took my hand and helped me to my feet.

"Here's what will happen now," he said firmly. "I will take you to the deck and you will go into a lifeboat, the ship is sinking."

"What?" I gasped. "No, no… What about you and papa?"

"I'll be fine, I promise," he replied and cupped my face. "Vampires can't drown."

"What about…"

"I'll look after your father," he interrupted me. "I can tell that he's in transition."

"What does that mean?"

"His body is dying, but that's completely normal, he will eventually wake up as a vampire."

That really didn't sound normal to me.

"But…"

"There's no time for this," he cut in and lifted me into his arms. "I'm taking you to the deck right now."


	30. Chapter 30

Elijah was becoming desperate; he couldn't find either one of his brothers or Viola and her father. They hadn't been at the suite when he had returned after finding out what had happened to the ship, he had doubted that Niklaus had taken the matter seriously enough. Unfortunately things had been worse than he had feared, the ship was sinking. His brothers were surely capable of taking care of themselves, but the girl was another matter, Elijah wasn't sure at all if her father could think clearly enough to take her to the deck.

Elijah cursed himself for leaving Viola alone with Stephen; he should have realized how unstable the human was. But then again, he couldn't fully blame Stephen after what he had experienced with Kol. Elijah believed that despite of all his faults, Stephen truly loved his daughter and tried his best to look after her. Hopefully Stephen had realized what was happening and didn't try to hide Viola from Niklaus, or something like that. Elijah didn't care to imagine what his brother would do if something would happen to Viola. He pressed his lips together and tried to think where he could look for her when he heard someone calling him.

"Mr. Mikaelson!"

Elijah turned around and saw Charles Spencer. Surprisingly he seemed almost cheerful.

"Mr. Spencer," Elijah greeted him.

"Please, Charles, there's no need for titles anymore. Have your brother taken Viola to a lifeboat?"

Elijah raised his eyebrows; he couldn't understand why the matter interested this human. How did he even know Viola?

"I love her mother and I promised her to take care of the girl," Charles explained casually, apparently he had guessed what Elijah was thinking. "Is she safe?"

For a moment Elijah was speechless, he wasn't sure if he had understood correctly what the human was saying.

"You…"

"I love Miriam Clayton," Charles cut in smiling. "I am done hiding it, I love her more than anything, I have ever since I met her."

"I see…"

"Is her daughter safe? Please tell me so I can die in peace."

He looked very calm and serene, like a person who was ready to face death. That was very rare, not many people were ready when it was their time to die. Elijah couldn't help but to feel respect, clearly he hadn't seen who this human really was when they had dined at the same table. Charles hadn't spoken much, so Elijah hadn't paid much attention to him.

"Yes, she's fine."

Elijah didn't usually lie, but he felt that this human deserved to spend his last moments in peace. Charles smiled and placed his hand on Elijah's shoulder.

"Thank you. I wish you all the best and I apologize for all the discomfort my family caused you during those dinners. I should have told my wife to finally keep her mouth shut."

Elijah didn't have time to reply when Charles walked away. He was humming some cheerful song, like a person who didn't have a care in the world.

* * *

><p>"<em>Rule Britannia! Britannia rule the waves! Britons never, never, never shall be slaves! Rule Britannia! Britannia rule the waves! Britons never, never, never shall be slaves!"<em>

"One more time, lads!"

"_Rule Britannia! Britannia rule the waves! Britons never, never, never shall be slaves! Rule Britannia! Britannia rule the waves! Britons never, never, never shall be slaves!"_

Kol didn't really consider himself as British, but he had no problem joining the drunken choir. He was sitting in the Smoke Room with two young fellows, Tommy and Billy, who certainly weren't a First Class passengers and a middle-aged man called Charles. The atmosphere was much more cheerful here than at the Lounge where the doomed men were quietly drinking the finest liquors and preparing to die like gentlemen. Kol had found it odd how calm they had been, simply accepting their fate.

He himself wouldn't have to be here, he could have easily gotten into a lifeboat, but this was far more interesting, he had never experienced a shipwreck. The ship was already tilted slightly sideways, it would sink soon. The lights were still working but probably not for long. Kol had to admit that he had never seen anything like this.

"Gentlemen," Charles said and raised his glass. "It has been a pleasure to drink with you."

"Likewise, Charles," Tommy replied. "You're not so bad as far as a dandy goes."

"Thank you, Mr. Faraday, I appreciate that."

All the men emptied their glasses and poured themselves another drinks. They were quiet, lost in their thoughts.

"Are you afraid of death?" Kol asked, he was curious.

Charles shook his head.

"No. It's difficult to be afraid of death when you have not really lived in the first place."

"How so?"

Charles laughed humorlessly.

"For all my life I have been a coward, lived like other people have wanted me to. I never loved my wife, but still I stayed with her and let the true love of my life to slip away from me. Now she is dead and I hope to join her."

"At least you've loved, mate," Tommy muttered. "I haven't."

"Come on," Billy huffed. "You're wasting a good drinking time."

"I'm serious," Tommy muttered. "I've slept with many lasses, but I've never loved any of them. I always thought that someday… I don't know, I would find the right lass, settle down, have children. Oh well…"

Billy rolled his eyes and patted Tommy's shoulder.

"That kind of life is not for us, brother, deep down you know it. People like us die young, one way or another."

"True," Tommy sighed. "But still…"

"How about you?" Charles asked, he was looking at Kol.

"Am I afraid? No, death doesn't scare me. Been there, done that."

"No, I meant have you ever loved anyone?"

"No," Kol snorted. "I don't believe in love."

"I feel sorry for you," Charles muttered, he was staring at his glass. "Love makes the life worth living. Her smile, the smell of her hair, the sound of her laugh… I wouldn't give up a second with my Miriam for all the riches in the world."

Kol didn't comment on that, the whole conversation was ridiculous. Well, people who were about to die didn't have any reason to hold back. He emptied his glass and stood up; it was probably time to head to the deck. After all, he didn't want to miss the grand finale.

"Well, this has been interesting. Good luck, gentlemen," he said and walked out.

The best part was that he didn't have to worry about Nik, his brother probably had his hands full. Nik had no doubt taken the little peach into a lifeboat already. Kol hadn't meant to drop her and he would have helped Nik to save her if Elijah wouldn't have beaten him to it, but that wouldn't matter to Nik. No, his brother would no doubt come after him, but that wasn't anything new.

Kol walked across the long dead silent hallway when he noticed a small figure sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall. It was a child, a girl. She couldn't be older than 4 or 5, tiny little creature with tangled auburn curls and dark brown eyes. Judging by her shabby clothes, she certainly wasn't a First Class passenger. Her legs were curled up against her chest and she hugged herself tightly. Kol bit his bottom lip; he should just walk past her. Yet he found himself bending down.

"Hey? Little girl?"

He didn't get any reply; she was just staring in front of her.

"What are you doing here by yourself?"

No reply. He sighed and took a quick look around; there was no one in sight.

"Fine," he snorted. "I'll take you to a lifeboat, but this stays between you and me."

She looked at him intently when he lifted her up, but she didn't seem scared. He frowned.

"What are you looking at?"

She didn't say anything; she simply wrapped her little arms tightly around him. Very tightly, like her life would depend on it. He rolled his eyes and started to carry her to the deck. Perhaps he wasn't completely heartless, but no one had to know that.

* * *

><p>Klaus was carrying Viola to the deck as fast as he could; he was afraid that using his vampire speed would hurt her. He had no idea how long he had looked for her, hearing her weakening thoughts in his head. It hadn't been him who had sent the thoughts back to her, it had been the wolf. That had truly been a strange experience. The wolf had howled furiously like a beast in a cage when it had felt her fading away, it had wanted to take over and find her itself.<p>

Klaus had never thought of his wolf side as a separate part of him, but after being smothered for so long, the wolf had apparently formed some kind of mind of its own. It was the pure version of the animalistic part of him, wild, untamed and primitive. Somehow Viola had awakened the wolf and it wanted her more than it wanted anything.

"_Mine. Protect."_

Klaus didn't bother to reply; at least the wolf was calm when it had her so near. He needed to get her into a lifeboat.

"_We go too!"_

No, I need to make sure that her father doesn't sink at the bottom of sea…

"_No!"_

Yes and shut up. He wasn't very eager to save Stephen, but that was important to Viola. She was obviously distressed and confused; her arms were wrapped tightly around him.

"It's alright, love," he said, hoping to sound comforting. "Your father is going to be fine."

"Is he still going to be the same person?" she muttered.

"Sure he will."

Hopefully. If he would manage to complete his transition, the circumstances were challenging to say the least. When he would get his hands on the little tramp responsible for this, he would certainly make her pay.

"_No! I want to do it!" _the wolf snarled.

We'll see, now shut up. He reached the deck and heard the music; the orchestra was playing some hymn. Strange. People were crying and praying, Klaus tried to get past them. The deck was already tilted sideways.

"Make way!" he demanded. Where were all the lifeboats? "Hey!" he snapped when he noticed a steward. "She needs to get into a lifeboat!"

The young steward turned to look at him with tearful eyes.

"It's too late. There are no lifeboats left."


	31. Chapter 31

I wrapped my arms instinctively tighter around Klaus when I heard what the male voice said. There were no lifeboats left. I heard sobbing and beautiful music, the whole situation felt unreal to me. The ship was really sinking. I had been too distracted to fully comprehend that. Now I finally started to understand. How could all the lifeboats be gone when there were still people here? What would happen now? It was so cold outside; no one could survive for long in the freezing water. No one would survive… We would all die. I shivered and held Klaus even tighter, I was too upset to care that I was probably hurting him.

"It's alright, love," he muttered tensely and touched my hair. "I won't let anything happen to you, I swear."

Before I managed to control myself, I let out a sob.

"I'm scared."

His lips touched my forehead in a comforting gesture before he replied.

"I know, sweetheart, I know. We are going to get through this."

How? How could we get through this? Unless…

"Can you see another ship?" I asked hopefully. "Maybe…maybe someone is coming to help us…"

"No one is coming!" a hysterical male voice shouted. "Not for hours and we'll all be dead by then! Those bastards, I curse them all!"

"Enough!" Klaus snapped.

I startled when someone grabbed my arm.

"Nothing matters anymore," the same male voice continued and let out a hysterical laugh. "There are no rules; we can do whatever we want!"

I cried out when he grabbed the hem of my dress.

"Lift your skirt, pretty girl and help me die as a happy…"

I heard a sound of a smack and then a thump, someone had just fallen down.

"Get your filthy hands off her," Klaus snarled. "Are you alright, sweetheart?"

"I…Yes, I am fine, but what are we going to do?"

I could feel that the deck was tilted sideways, there wasn't much time left.

"Elijah!" Klaus called.

"Thank goodness I found you," Elijah's tense voice said, he had just appeared in front of us.

I didn't have time to say anything when Klaus cut in.

"I need your help. Go and get her father, he's in transition."

"What…"

Klaus explained to him quickly where papa was and told him to hurry. For a moment I had forgotten that papa would become a vampire. My mind was so full of conflicted thoughts that I really couldn't think clearly.

"Alright…" Klaus murmured after Elijah had left. "Something that floats…"

"What?"

"We need to get as far away from the ship as possible before it sinks," he explained calmly. "Otherwise it might suck us under the surface with it. That wouldn't be a problem for me, but for you…"

"How is it possible that you can't drown?" I muttered, although this certainly wasn't the time or place for this conversation.

"I don't breathe," he replied simply and started to drag me somewhere. "Do not move, I will be right back."

I wrapped my arms around me when he was suddenly gone; I had never felt so helpless in my life. I heard people sobbing and crying out for God to save them. Someone was still playing violin and some other instruments; I recognized the hymn as Nearer, my God, to Thee. Hearing it brought tears to my eyes, I had sung it at mama's funeral. Was this my funeral day?

The thought was terrifying, especially if I would drown or freeze to death in the water. I had no idea what Klaus was planning to do, but at least he, papa and Elijah would be alright if and when I would die. I hoped that Tommy and Billy would be alright as well. And Kol. Surely he would be, he wouldn't drown. Vampires didn't breathe… That was a strange thought. There were so many things I didn't know about them and would probably never know. I would never find out if Klaus and I could have built some kind of life together…

"Viola!"

I startled when Klaus was suddenly beside me, he took my hand.

"We need to go, sweetheart."

"Wait," I muttered and reached for his face.

"Viola, there's no time…"

I located his lips and kissed him, although it wasn't a very romantic kiss, not when my tears were dripping on his face.

"I want to thank you for everything you have done for me," I said, trying to keep my voice from shaking. "You are a good person, don't forget that."

"Viola…"

"Please, let me finish. I don't regret anything that happened between us and I want you to know that… I love you."

It was the truth and I knew it when I said those words out loud. Despite of everything that had happened, I felt in my heart that he was the person I was meant to be with. There was no need for doubts or holding back anymore, not when this could be our last moment together.

"Listen to me," he said firmly and cupped my face. "You'll be alright, I promise. I need you to trust me. Can you do that, love?"

I nodded.

"Yes, Klaus, I trust you."

* * *

><p>"You got to be kidding me," Kol snorted. "No lifeboats left?"<p>

A very pale and absent looking steward shook his head.

"No lifeboats. No lifeboats. No lifeboats…"

"Alright, alright, I got it."

Kol huffed and looked at the small creature whose arms were still wrapped tightly around his neck.

"What am I supposed to do with this thing?" he complained.

The steward didn't even seem to hear him.

"No lifeboats. No lifeboats. No lifeboats."

Great… Well, there were other people on the deck; he could just leave the girl here, then she would become their problem. She would have no chances of surviving. So what? Why would he care if some human child would live or die? He could easily hear her frightened heartbeat; her tiny body was shivering against him. Damn it… He closed his eyes and sighed in surrender.

"Fine, but not a word about this, miniature human. I have a reputation."

She didn't say anything, but he could have sworn that her body relaxed a little. Apparently she trusted him to look after her. Foolish girl. Alright, he needed to think… Unfortunately there was no time left, the ship started to really tilt. Oh crap… People were screaming around him, trying to climb up. Kol didn't follow their example; instead he headed down, to the water. Fortunately he was wearing a life vest, he needed his arms to lift the girl over his head, she wouldn't survive for long if her clothes would get wet. He cursed when he reached the water, it was damn cold. The girl seemed to be panicking, her whole body was trembling and she was squirming.

"Stop that," he snapped. "Right now or I will drop you."

Quiet sobs were leaving her throat, but she stopped squirming. He sighed and started to swim away from the ship as fast as he could. It was completely sideways now; he didn't have much time to get far enough. To his surprise, he noticed Nik and Elijah ahead, they were both swimming. Elijah was dragging someone behind him and Nik was taking care of some kind of raft which was made of a table and life vests. Viola was on that raft, she was crying.

"Cover your ears, love," Nik said. "Everything is fine."

She wrapped her arms around her and cried even harder while the dying screams of the people on the ship were getting louder. The little girl was crying as well, she took a hold of Kol's wrist.

"There, there," he muttered. "You'll be fine."


	32. Chapter 32

**Okay, there are still either one or two chapters left, I'm not completely sure yet. Unfortunately I don't have an upload schedule, I finish the chapters when I can find time, I've been very busy lately. Thank you all for the inspiration you've given me :)**

* * *

><p>Elijah had seen all kinds of things during his long life, some of those things were more horrible than any normal person could imagine. He had thought that nothing could shock him anymore, but apparently he had been wrong. The horrific sight in front of his eyes was like nothing he had ever seen before. Yet he couldn't look away.<p>

The bow of the ship had already sunk, making the stern to rapidly flood and rose out of the water. What was left of the ship was in a vertical position and people were falling into their death like flies. Some of them died immediately when their body hit on something on their way down, but others ended up in the ice-cold water. The lights flashed one last time before they were out and only darkness remained.

Some people had managed to hold on the railing and Elijah could hear their cries when they prayed for salvation. The stern held its vertical position for several seconds before it started to slip beneath the surface. People were screaming, at this point Elijah had to turn his head away. Stephen was floating next to him; they both were wearing a life vest.

"I have to do something…" Elijah muttered.

"There's nothing you can do, this thing barely bears Viola," Klaus replied tensely. "You can't help those people."

Elijah looked around, where were the lifeboats? He caught a glimpse of light very far away and he knew what he needed to do.

"Maybe I can, at least some of them."

"What… Elijah!"

Elijah wasn't listening; he shoved Stephen to his brother and started to swim towards the lifeboats as fast as he could. On his way he saw something quite strange, Kol was holding a child over his head.

"Elijah! Thank God, take this thing…"

"I can't," Elijah replied firmly and continued swimming. "Look after her."

"What?! You can't be serious…"

Elijah ignored his brother's cursing and complaining, he needed to get to the lifeboats before it would be too late. He tried desperately to remember how long a human could survive in water this cold, surely he had read about it sometimes. Even if he had, he couldn't remember. It didn't really matter, he was pretty sure that every second was crucial.

* * *

><p>Lousy brother… Kol gritted his teeth and continued his very slow swimming. It was impossible to swim fast when you couldn't use your arms. Sure he could have tried to give the girl to Nik, but he figured that it was better to avoid his brother as long as he could. Besides, Nik had seemed to have his hands full comforting his crying toy.<p>

Kol doubted that Nik would get any for a long time; this was probably quite a traumatic experience for Viola, even if she hadn't seen what had happened. He smirked; he could have taught his brother few tricks of how to calm the little peach down. Unfortunately he had to settle for the company of his unwanted passenger. He felt that the girl was shivering, she was probably cold.

"So… do you have a name, miniature human?" he asked carelessly.

She didn't say anything; her fingers were still squishing his wrist.

"How old are you?"

Still no reply.

"Fine," he huffed. "I don't really care anyway."

For a brief moment he tried to recall what he remembered about the development of children, could they already speak when they were her age? He had no idea and the matter really didn't interest him. Thankfully he would get rid of her soon. Well, he could get rid of her right now if he would want to.

"You know, you really ruined this whole shipwreck for me," he snorted. "Without you, I would have been on top of the stern when it went down. Now that would have been a unique experience, would you agree?"

She didn't say anything and he doubted if she could even understand him. According to his experience, children weren't very smart.

"The least you could do is offering me some kind of entertainment, unless you want me to get bored and drop you."

He had meant that as a joke, not that the girl understood him anyway… Or maybe she did. She reached down and her small fingers started to massage his head. He frowned and was just about to ask what she was doing, but to his surprise, it didn't feel too bad. On the contrary actually. In different circumstances it could have been quite relaxing.

"Who has taught you this?" he asked.

Surprisingly she didn't say anything. He could feel how much her fingers were shaking, she was really cold.

"You can stop," he huffed, although he would have liked her to continue. She obeyed, but her tiny body tensed and she took a hold of his wrist, she probably thought that she had failed.

"I'm not going to drop you," he snorted. "It was a joke; don't you have any sense of humor?"

Of course she didn't, she was a child. Why did he even bother to try? He sighed and continued swimming; fortunately he could finally see a lifeboat ahead.

"Hey! A little help here!"

He heard people gasping and suddenly a light hit his face.

"Dear Lord…" a male voice said. "Hold on, mate!"

"I'll do my best," he huffed and swam closer. Someone picked the girl up before helping him into the boat as well. 28 pairs of eyes were staring at him disbelievingly, most of them were women, but there were also few men in the boat. The First Class men, of course. Kol didn't have time to say anything when one of the men, who apparently was a purser, started to remove his life vest.

"We need to get you out of these wet clothes," the purser explained calmly. "Otherwise you will freeze to death."

"I'm fine," Kol huffed.

"No, no, you don't understand, you are in shock…"

Kol rolled his eyes, perhaps he should just play along.

"Fine then."

All the women looked away immediately when he started to undress, although it was so dark that they couldn't have seen much anyway. The purser wrapped two blankets around him and some man gave him his jacket. The girl was on some woman's lap, there was a blanket wrapped around her as well. She stared at Kol and started to squirm as soon as he had sat down. The woman tried to calm her down, but she couldn't.

"Let her come to her father," the purser said.

Kol's eyes widened, but he didn't have time to say anything when the girl ran straight to him and climbed onto his lap.

"What a… Get off me, you little leech!"

The people seemed shocked.

"What kind of a father are you?" some woman asked disapprovingly.

"I'm not…" Kol started angrily, but the girl was already snuggled against him. This was just perfect.

* * *

><p>The screams. So many screams. Men, women, children. I had never heard anything like it and I knew I could never forget.<p>

"Viola," Klaus said and touched my hand. I was too numb to even care how cold his hand was. "It's alright."

I shook my head and let out another sob.

"No, it's not. Please… We… we have to do something…"

"We can't, but Elijah went to get help, I'm sure he knows what he's doing."

I curled up into a fetal position; I didn't have enough strength to even cry anymore. How could something like this happen, how? The sounds were fading away, was everyone dead? I was happy and grateful that I was alive. How could I think that, what kind of a person was I?

"Klaus?" I muttered, my voice sounded strange.

"Yes, love?"

"Are there stars in the sky?"

"Yes, there are, it's full of stars. No clouds at all."

I tried to picture it in my head, the beautiful night sky. Mama was there watching over me.

"_The moon had climb'd the highest hill_**_, _**_which rises o'er the source of Dee. And from the eastern summit shedher silver light on tow'r and tree; when Mary laid her down to sleep, her thoughts on Sandy far at sea. When soft and low, a voice was heard, say, Mary weep, no more for me…"_

I reached for Klaus' hand and kissed it when he placed it on mine. Neither of us said anything, there really wasn't much to say. I had no idea how long we were there before I heard some voices.

"Look for there!" Elijah's voice said. "Careful with the oars, don't hit them!"

"What is happening?" I asked.

"Elijah brought some lifeboats back," Klaus replied. "They are looking for survivors."

"Over here!" a male voice shouted. "We found someone!"

"We too!"

Someone had survived… I tried to carefully get into a sitting position.

"Can you see… How many survivors have they found?"

"I'm not sure, few I think."

That was wonderful; I really hoped they could save as many people as possible. Suddenly an ice-cold hand grabbed my wrist, I heard someone gasping.

"Stephen!" Klaus snapped. No more than a second later someone, probably papa, was next to me. The raft couldn't take both of our weight and started to sink.

"Stephen!"

"Papa…"

I didn't have time to say anything else when he growled and grabbed me.

"Papa, it's me…"

The next thing I realized was the immense pain in my throat, his teeth had just punctured my skin.


	33. Chapter 33

"Stephen!" Klaus shouted when the damn man sank his fangs into Viola's throat.

"_Kill him!"_ the wolf demanded. _"Kill him now!"_

Klaus tried to get onto the raft, but he was too late, Stephen had already dragged Viola into the water with him, he was still feeding on her. With an angry growl, Klaus grabbed him from behind and pulled him off Viola who was gasping in shock.

"Mine!" Stephen growled like a wild beast and struggled with all the might of a newborn vampire.

"_Kill!"_ the wolf snarled.

Klaus had to use all his willpower for not to do as the wolf demanded, he really wanted to kill this man. Instead he knocked Stephen out and he certainly wasn't careful.

"Viola!"

She was freezing; her body trembled uncontrollably in the icy water.

"Hold on, love."

"Pa-papa?"

"He's fine; right now we need to focus on you."

Klaus took a hold of her arm and started to drag her towards the lifeboats as fast as he could. Fortunately Elijah had seen what had happened and was bringing a lifeboat to them. Viola's body temperature was dropping fast; she wasn't trembling anymore when Elijah lifted her onto the lifeboat. Elijah was already undressing her when Klaus got into the boat; he tried his best to ignore the wolf who wanted to attack his brother.

"I'll do that," Klaus snapped and shoved his brother aside. Elijah didn't seem offended, he simply handed Klaus a blanket. From the corner of his eye Klaus saw that there were at least four other men in the boat. "Eyes down or I'll rip them out," he snarled. Not, not him, the wolf. It thought that her body only belonged to it; no one else was allowed to see her like this.

"Niklaus," Elijah murmured warningly. The men seemed stunned, but when Klaus looked up, they had no problem of obeying. Carefully he took all of Viola's clothes off and wrapped the blanket tightly around her before fitting her limp body against his chest. The coldness and the blood loss had made her to pass out, but her heartbeat was strong, he could easily hear it. She would be alright.

* * *

><p>Two hours. Kol had never thought that two hours could feel so long. Being stuck in a small boat with a bunch of crying humans and a damn miniature human that had fallen asleep on his lap was certainly an unpleasant experience. She had curled up against his chest and she was sniffling in her sleep, she wasn't even slightly afraid of him. That was just…annoying. Even if he wouldn't be a deadly predator, he still wouldn't be the kind of person children felt safe with. Maybe he didn't kill children, but he certainly didn't like them either, he considered them quite useless creatures. And obviously the damn thing wasn't very smart; otherwise she wouldn't think that she was safe with him. When would this damn nightmare end…<p>

"Look!" one of the women suddenly gasped. "A ship!"

Everyone turned to look at the direction she was pointing at, it really was a ship. Kol was the only one who was able to see its name in the darkness. Carpathia. Some of the women burst into tears and thanked The Lord. The noises woke the little girl up; she yawned and rubbed her eyes sleepily.

"We are saved," one of the women sobbed.

"Indeed," Kol muttered and glanced at the girl. She looked at him back with her dark brown eyes, blinking innocently. She trusted him. Why the hell would she trust him? Her arms were wrapped tighter around him and she leaned her head against his chest. Fortunately this would all be over soon. All the lifeboats were heading towards the ship; it had already started to pick the survivors up.

After a long wait, it was finally Kol's turn. He placed the girl on the deck as soon as they were lifted onboard, but she wasn't going to give up, she followed him when some crew member led him to a cabin to put some clothes on, he was wearing nothing except the blanket and the jacket. He slammed the cabin door shut in front of her, but she was waiting behind it when he came out after getting dressed.

"Shoo!" he snapped and waved his hand. "Go and bother someone else, you're not my problem."

She looked at him intently and followed him when he tried to walk away. He stopped and turned to look at her.

"I realize you're not very smart, but I suggest you leave me alone before I…"

He didn't have time to finish his sentence when he was suddenly thrown against the wall.

"Hello, brother," Nik snarled and grabbed him by the throat. "I believe we have some unfinished business to take care of."

"Come on, Nik," Kol snorted. "I gave you the little peach, didn't I? Rightfully she belongs to me, but I can let you keep her…"

"She belongs to me!" Nik growled, he sounded quite strange. "Only to me!"

"Fine, whatever you say. Now, if you really want to fight…"

Nik growled when the girl suddenly grabbed his leg and bit him.

"What…"

The girl started to scream at the top of her lungs, apparently she managed to surprise Nik, he let go of Kol and took a step back. Kol couldn't do anything except stare at the girl, his brother seemed very confused.

"What is this?" Nik muttered. The girl had let go of his leg, she moved in front of Kol and arched her back like a cat, apparently trying to protect Kol. He had to struggle for not to laugh, this was just hilarious. Perhaps the miniature human wasn't as useless as he had thought.

"She's my new pet," Kol replied casually. "Cute, isn't she? And quite loyal, as you can see."

Nik's eyebrows furrowed.

"A human child? Really, Kol?"

Kol shrugged and scooped the girl up.

"Why not?"

Nik didn't have time to reply when few crew members came running, apparently alarmed by the girl's screams.

"Is something wrong here?" one of them asked.

Kol grinned and looked at his brother over the girl's shoulder.

"No, the poor thing is still upset because of… you know."

The crew members nodded.

"Yes. Perhaps she would like something to eat?"

Kol glanced at the girl; the thought of her being hungry hadn't even crossed his mind.

"Yes, I believe she does. Lead the way."

He gave his brother a charming smile; he doubted that Nik would want to make a scene here. The look in his brother's eyes told him that they weren't done, but Kol wasn't too worried about that, not right now anyway.

"You did well, little human," he hummed while following the crew member across the hallway. "Perhaps I can find some use for you after all."

* * *

><p>"Is he going to be alright?" Viola asked.<p>

Elijah hesitated for a brief moment; he wasn't sure what to tell her. Stephen was still unconscious; he was lying on the floor under the blankets. The dining room was full of bunks and beds made of blankets, clothes and mattresses; the crew of Carpathia was trying their hardest to make the survivors as comfortable as possible. Few crew members were serving tea and hot soup, but many people didn't seem to have much appetite. Mothers were holding their children, husbands their wives, most people had lost at least one member of their family. The pain and the grief filled the whole room, the experience had been traumatizing for all of them. Elijah could easily tell that it had been traumatizing for Viola as well, she was as pale as a ghost.

"I'm sure he will be fine," Elijah replied and touched her hand. She looked distressed.

"What if… what if he attacks someone else?"

"He won't, I will make sure of that," he assured. "Waking up as a newborn can be quite… a confusing experience."

"Yes, I'm sure it can be," she muttered.

The poor girl seemed exhausted, mentally and physically. Niklaus had tried his best to keep her warm when they had been in the lifeboat, but some human with a warm body would have probably succeeded better. She was lying on a mattress, wrapped inside two blankets, but still she seemed to be cold. Elijah helped her to drink a cup of tea, she really needed some rest. Niklaus certainly didn't look pleased when he returned; he had gone to arrange a cabin for her.

"Let's go, sweetheart," he said and lifted her up.

"Where are we going?" she muttered tiredly.

"To a cabin, you need a quiet place to rest."

Niklaus glanced at Stephen and Elijah could see what he wasn't saying out loud, he wanted Viola away from her father. Apparently he assumed that Elijah would have no problem babysitting Stephen. The thought annoyed Elijah quite a lot, but he didn't say anything, this probably wasn't the best time for that. Niklaus formed silently the words "watch him" before carrying Viola away. A newborn vampire in a room full of people. That should be fun. No, he needed to move him before he would wake up. Elijah sighed and lifted Stephen over his shoulder. He was just passing few bunks when he recognized an unconscious man lying on one of them. Viola's cousin.


	34. Chapter 34

**Here's the final chapter, thank you for all the readers :) Here are answers to your questions, Charles wasn't Viola's father, he was in love with her mother and Rebekah is in New Orleans. There might be a sequel, but I'm not sure yet.**

* * *

><p>"Here we go," Klaus said and placed Viola on a bed as gently as he could. She was almost asleep already, but she gave him a weak smile.<p>

"Thank you."

"No need to thank me, love," he replied and bent down to kiss her forehead. "I will always look after you, you can count on that."

"You shouldn't have to," she muttered sleepily. "I… You have done so much for me, but I don't want you to feel obliged…"

"Hey," he interrupted her firmly and sat down next to her. "You are my girl, I don't feel obliged to look after you; I will do that because I want to."

She smiled.

"Your girl…"

"That's right." He paused and touched her cheek. "Rest now, sweetheart, you don't have to worry about anything. Elijah will look after your father."

She sighed and closed her eyes; she didn't seem to be cold anymore. He stayed beside her, observing her pale face. The bite marks on her neck were healed, but she had still lost a lot of blood. She had no doubt had one of the worst days of her life. Kidnapped by Kol, bit by her own father, shot by…

His eyes narrowed when he suddenly remembered. The wolf growled, it made very clear what it wanted to do now. Klaus had no rejections. Gently he kissed Viola's cheek before getting up; hopefully she would have pleasant dreams after everything she had been through. He on the other hand was about to become someone else's worst nightmare.

* * *

><p>Clarissa was in a very bad mood, she was sick of listening to her mother's crying and whining. The woman was completely useless; clearly Clarissa would have to take charge when they would arrive to New York. Her father was dead, which meant that all his fortune belonged to her now. The thought made her smile; she was one of the richest women in England. Not to mention she was planning to make the shipping company to pay a lot for causing the death of her dear father.<p>

She could already see it, her face on the cover of every newspaper. The brave survivor, the grieving daughter, all the men would worship her. She had plenty of plans to make, so she left her annoying mother to their cabin, which certainly wasn't good enough for her. It was small and there wasn't even a bathroom. Oh well, perhaps a little suffering was necessary, it would help her to get ready for the greatest performance of her life. She would be a star, the centre of attention.

She headed to the deck, it was morning already. What a beautiful morning it was. Slowly she made her way towards the railing and looked at the water. The little servant brat was now at the bottom of sea, along with Niklaus Mikaelson. Hopefully they would be very happy together. She took the gun out of her pocket and tossed it in the water. Everything was just…

"Good morning, Miss Clarissa," a male voice said, cutting off her thoughts. She startled and turned around, Niklaus Mikaelson was standing in front of her.

"Mr. Mikaelson," she gasped. "You are alive."

He smiled, but there was something ominous in his smile.

"More or less."

"Well… That is wonderful," she said after getting over her surprise. "And your fiancée?"

She was prepared to offer him her condolences, but his smile grew wider.

"She's fine, thank you for asking. She's resting in our cabin."

Clarissa's eyes widened, this couldn't be true.

"What?"

"Yes," he hummed. "She's fine."

"That's impossib…" she started before she managed to stop herself.

He raised his eyebrows.

"Why would you say that?"

She bit her bottom lip, pulling herself together. How the hell had that bitch survived?

"Oh… I was just surprised," she replied smiling. "I'm happy to hear that she's alright."

His smile vanished, he glared at her icily.

"Are you?"

"Yes, of course I am."

He took a menacing step towards her, making her to back away.

"I know what you did," he snarled.

She swallowed, but she controlled herself quickly.

"I have no idea what you are talking about," she stated coolly and tried to get past him. He grabbed her arm and shoved her against the railing.

"How dare you?" she hissed. "Get your hands off me or I will…"

"Quiet," he ordered.

She was about to scream, but she couldn't make a sound. What the hell? He smiled at her coldly and grabbed her chin.

"You have no idea who you are dealing with," he said. "It's time for you to find out."

Her eyes widened when she saw his face changing. No, this couldn't be happening.

"You will tell me the truth," he snarled. "Why did you hurt Viola?"

"I hate her," she heard herself saying. "She's a filthy little servant whore who thought that she's my equal. The boys looked at her when they should have looked at me and even my father treated her like she would be somehow special. There's nothing special about that blind cow."

He was quiet for a moment; his lips were curving into a smirk.

"I'm afraid I must disagree."

She gasped in shock when he slammed his fist through her chest. The last thing she saw was the reflection of a wolf in his eyes.

"She's more special than you can ever understand."

* * *

><p>"Attention, people!" Kol announced and lifted the little human over his head. "Has anyone lost this?"<p>

Some people in the dining room glanced at him, but no one said anything. They looked tired and apathetic; apparently they haven't gotten over with the whole shipwreck thing. Honestly, that had happened hours ago, Kol had already forgotten it. Besides, these people have survived; they had no reason to complain. Kol sighed and placed the miniature human on the floor, she took his hand immediately.

"What the hell am I going to do with you?" he muttered. The whole thing was becoming annoying. He didn't really want a pet; he had just said that to see the look on Nik's face. Sure the little human had been amusing, but he had no intention to keep her. Unfortunately he hadn't managed to find her real owners…parents.

"Alright," he huffed. "I think there were some people at the lounge, let's go and see…"

"Cosette!" some little boy said and pointed at the girl. "Look, mama, it's Cosette!"

Kol looked up and saw the boy who had just entered the dining room with a man and a woman who was holding a baby. Judging by their clothes, they were First Class passengers. The woman looked shocked and the man's face went blank when they noticed the girl.

"Let's go," the man said tensely and took the boy's hand.

"Hey!" Kol said and went after them. He didn't even notice that the girl tried to resist, he simply dragged her with him. He caught the couple in the hallway and stepped in front of them.

"You know her?" he asked.

"No," the man and the woman said simultaneously. Obviously they were lying. Kol frowned and looked at the boy, who couldn't be older than 6.

"How about you? You know her?"

The boy nodded.

"That's Cosette. You shouldn't touch her, she's filthy. And she smells bad."

"My son is mistaken, we have never seen that girl," the man said tensely. "Excuse us."

"I don't think so," Kol replied. "I need to know who this thing…child belongs to, so you better tell me."

"I'm afraid we can't help you," the man stated coldly.

Kol rolled his eyes and looked into the man's eyes.

"Tell me what you know about the girl."

"She is my bastard daughter," the man replied mechanically.

"Rupert!" the woman gasped, she looked shocked.

"Your daughter?" Kol repeated. "Is this her mother?"

"No!" the woman snapped before the man managed to reply.

"No, her mother was a French prostitute."

"What are you doing!" the woman shouted.

"Be quiet," Kol ordered, he didn't bother to use compulsion. "Not you," he added, looking at the man. "Why did you say that you don't know the girl?"

"Because we don't want her," the man replied. "That's why we left her behind; we thought that we had finally got rid of her."

Kol's eyes narrowed.

"You left her to die? Your own daughter?"

"I never wanted her," the man replied. "Her mother blackmailed me to take her in, but she has never been my daughter."

Kol glanced at the girl; finally he noticed that she was trying to hide behind his back. She was afraid of these people.

"Ugly Cosette, ugly Cosette!" the boy cheered and shoved her.

"Hey!" Kol snapped. "I should teach you manners…"

"Don't you talk to my son like that!" the man demanded. "We will take the girl."

"I don't think so," Kol heard himself saying.

"Fine," the woman snapped and cradled the baby who had started to cry. "You can keep her, good luck with that. She is dumb as a doornail, she can't even speak."

Kol didn't manage to say anything when the man lifted the boy up and walked away with the woman. For a moment he couldn't do anything except stare after them.

"Right…" he muttered and turned to look at the girl who was standing behind his back. "Cosette, is it? That's not so bad; I would have probably named you Kolette or maybe a snack. You wouldn't be much of a dinner."

She didn't say anything or look at him; obviously she couldn't understand his sense of humor. He sighed and held out his hand, she didn't hesitate to take it.

"Come on then."

He had no idea what the hell he was doing, but surely he could find some better place for the girl. Why he cared, he had no idea. Perhaps even a monster was capable of doing a decent thing for every now and then.

* * *

><p>I sat on the bed, my hands folded in my lap. It was an early morning, but I had been awake for a while now; I had got dressed and have a cup of tea. Today we would arrive to New York. I had slept a lot during the last three days, according to Klaus my body had needed that rest in order to recover from the blood loss and the shock. He had been with me almost the whole time, held me when the nightmares of people screaming had woke me up. I would never forget his kindness.<p>

Yet I wasn't sure what would happen now. Papa was a mess; I had spoken with him briefly yesterday. He had felt terrible for attacking me, but he hadn't managed to hide the truth, he was craving for blood very badly, just like he had been craving for opium. Elijah had kept him in the cargo hold and made sure that he hadn't attacked anyone, but that didn't erase the problem.

Klaus had said that papa would learn to control the bloodlust, but it was clear that he wouldn't be able to do that alone. We would all travel to New Orleans, apparently by train. I had never been in a train. The thought of traveling to a strange city made me nervous, even though I knew that Klaus would be with me. I would live in his home and meet his sister. I had wondered what she would be like and what my life would be like with Klaus.

We still had a lot of issues to deal with; I needed to know more about vampires, especially now when papa was one. Yet a small part of me was hopeful, somehow I knew that I was meant to be with Klaus. I had asked him had he seen Clarissa onboard, this time I wanted her to be punished for what she had done. Apparently she had been, according to Klaus she and her father hadn't survived; only Mrs. Spencer had.

I felt sad for Mr. Spencer; he had always been kind to me and mama. I wished peace for his soul and his daughter's as well. Hopefully Klaus would be here soon; he had gone to make some arrangements before the ship would dock. The knock on the door startled me, Klaus didn't knock.

"Yes?" I said.

"Hi, sweetness," Tommy's voice said when the door opened. "Is this a bad time?"

"No, no," I replied and stood up. I had been more than happy when Elijah had told me that Tommy was alive. Unfortunately Billy hadn't made it.

"How are you?" I asked sympathetically.

"Still kicking," he replied, his tone told me that he didn't want to talk about his brother. "I just wanted to say goodbye."

"You are staying in New York?"

"Yeah. Let's see how that will work out."

I couldn't help but to hug him, he was a good man.

"I wish you all the best. If there's anything you need…"

"Don't worry, your fiancé already gave me plenty of money, he thinks that I'm your cousin, you know."

I smiled.

"You are like a cousin to me."

"Thanks, sweetness. Take care and who knows, maybe we'll run into each other some day."

"I hope so," I said and kissed his cheek. "Good luck."

I sat down after he had left; I really hoped that everything would work out for him. It didn't take long when Klaus returned.

"We are arriving at the dock," he said. "Are you ready, love?"

I nodded and stood up.

"Yes, I'm ready."

I was nervous, but I really was ready. Ready to start my life with him.


	35. Authors note

**Authors note**

The sequel is now published :)


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